After 10 years in the Garden of England, the Soft Fruit Conference is undergoing a revamp and relocation to the Midlands.
Previously known as ‘New Developments in the Soft Fruit Industry’ and held in Ashford, Kent, the event has been renamed the British Berry Conference and will take place on November 14 and 15 at the Ramada Hotel, in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham.
According to conference organisers David Simpson and Scott Raffle, industry feedback from recent conferences hinted that the venue and structure of the conference were no longer appropriate.
Raffle said as the new venue is more centrally located it is likely to attract more interest from a large proportion of the industry that is no longer based in the south east.
In addition, the structure of the conference has changed, with the traditional ‘round robin’ sessions removed from the schedule.
Simpson said: “The new format will be composed of main platform sessions and parallel sessions where delegates can choose between two series of talks based on a common theme.”
In response to delegate requests, longer breaks had been created between sessions to allow delegates to meet, chat and do business, providing more time for delegates to visit trade stands, he added.
Talks at this year’s event will be based on central themes including marketing, waste, pesticides, and production.
Speakers on the marketing theme will include Lucy Rickett of Sputnik Communications (reviewing soft fruit promotional activities in 2006), Andrew Fearne of Dunn Humby (discussing consumer trends in soft fruit based on Tesco’s club card scheme), Stephanie Hilton from the US (providing an overview of soft fruit marketing in US) and David Northcroft previously of KG Fruits (providing an overview of the soft fruit market in Australia and Mexico).
Waste management will be addressed by Ian Muir of ADAS who will provide an up-date on waste minimisation and recycling for the soft fruit industry.
Speakers addressing the pesticide theme include Steve Gardner of QTS Analytical (providing an insight into changes in the world of pesticide residue testing), Peter Shakespeare of Certis Europe (offering information on pesticide resistance management in soft fruit) and Vivian Powell of HDC (providing a review of the ever changing world of pesticide legislation).
On the topic of crop production, talks will be presented on blueberry production in Poland (Stephen Taylor, Winterwood Farm), improved water management (Peter White of Peter White Water), controlled release fertilisers for soft fruit (Shaun Kavanagh of Scotts), powdery mildew control in strawberries (Steve Parker of CSL), exciting new developments in vine weevil and thrips control (Tariq Butt of Swansea University) and an up-date on the LINK project to reduce pesticide use in raspberries (Jerry Cross of EMR).
In addition, the delegates from a Dutch grower on a novel way to produce strawberries.
Details about booking a place or trade stands at the conference can be obtained from Jean Hodges at East Malling Research (01732) 843833 or at jean.hodges@emr.ac.uk
