Picking is expected to last about a month and start from September 20 and has been brought forward by warm temperatures in July.

National Farmers' Union top-fruit chairman and grower Michael Spencer said: 'The very warm spell we had in July set us on course for an early harvest. We now expect to be picking about 10 days to two weeks earlier than usual.' It is expected that around 42,000 tonnes of Cox will be picked this year. Quality is expected to be good, although not a par with last season's vintage year. And volumes are forecast to be down by 26 per cent on its five-year average. Spencer, who grows 60 acres of apples in East Anglia, said: 'This has been a tough growing year and once again we will be depending on the public to vote with their shopping baskets to keep Britain's top-class top-fruit industry in business.' Growers are hoping for an improvement in returns to reflect the fall in volumes. Last season has left a sour taste as pre-season expectations for the exceptionally good quality crop were unrealised and the UK market did not perform well.

Robert Balicki, a director of marketing organisation Worldwide Fruit and chairman of the Northcourt Group has said the start of the season is 'tinged with pessimism' following disappointing sales last year. 'Produce generally is struggling with the number of offers there are in the marketplace,' said Balicki. 'This year we have a normal Cox crop, there is a little russetting but that is not a particular problem and the crop is looking good particularly from the point of view of flavour.' This season there will be an increase in volume of English Gala which will present a further marketing challenge. 'It means we will be going more head-to-head with French Gala and the market will be tougher,' said Balicki. The job for marketing groups such as Worldwide Fruit and for promotion body English Apples & Pears will be to persuade retailers and consumers to buy English. 'When English Gala is available, it has a better flavour and texture and suits the UK consumer's taste better,' said Balicki.

In general, the poor farm-gate prices in recent seasons have pushed thousands of acres of orchards out of production and land producing both dessert and culinary varieties has fallen away by nearly 4,000 acres in the five years to 2001 - down 11 per cent. Provisional figures for the area producing Cox this season is estimated at just over 8,000 acres.

Meanwhile, due to this declining acreage, the sector no longer has sufficient levy revenue to support its own research body and Defra announced this week that the Apple & Pear Research Council (APRC) and the Horticultural Development Council (HDC) will merge on April 1, 2003.

The announcement follows the University of Reading economic evaluation review that concluded with the recommendation that the fruit industry would benefit from the two organisations merging.

The two levy bodies welcomed the statement from Defra under-secretary Lord Whitty.

This change will provide a common focus and clarity and allow for significant cost savings, thus ensuring more levy goes to R&D,' said HDC chairman Colin Harvey. 'We very much welcome working for the apple and pear growers and continuing to meet their specific R&D needs and we think it is absolutely in their best interests.' APRC chairman Professor Ian Swingland added: 'We want to make sure that the new tree-fruit panel has the existing APRC grower members and a suitable chairman who should receive an honorarium.'

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