A meeting to be held at East Malling Research on January 31 will ask British top-fruit growers to unite behind the aim of “more self sufficiency”.
Invitations have been circulated around the industry this week, imploring all interested parties to “acknowledge the many environmental benefits of consuming locally-produced food, and support the aim of increasing market share of British-grown tree fruits”.
The meeting is being sponsored by the British Independent Fruit Growers’ Association (Bifga) and hosted by EMR. Bifga chairman John Breach said: “Surely, the time is now right for like-minded supporters of the British apple and pear industry (and other locally grown tree fruits) to join together with the one main common aim of more self-sufficiency, so that the resultant synergy can set our industry an expansionist mode for many years to come.
“Perhaps it is time to find out who the real supporters of the British fruit industry are, starting with organisations and individuals within, and allied to, our industry, and then, perhaps, giving members of the general public the opportunity to show their support.”
Breach told the Journal that scope to increase the production of top fruit in the UK is huge. He singled out Worcestershire as a region with thousands of suitable acres that lie un-used by fruit producers, but could be used to grow environment-friendly, locally produced, apples and pears.
UK growers only supply around 29 per cent of their domestic market’s apples, and just 24 per cent of its pears. Defra figures also show that in the last 10 years, the area of dessert apples planted in the UK has virtually halved, down from 10,699 hectares down to 5,628ha.
Breach said: “Those of us currently on watch - including those approaching retirement, and even those who have left the industry but who want to put something back - have a duty to the generations who follow, to arrest this decline, and reverse it.
“We now have a number of good, late varieties being planted, and others about to come on stream. We also have the land.”
He cited increased demand for locally-grown food, significant advances in fruit storage, and government health initiatives as reasons for his belief that UK growers have a new window of opportunity.
“If we add to these, the existing trump cards of fruit with outstanding flavour and close proximity to a huge marketplace, we must be holding a truly winning hand,” he said.
One aim of the meeting is to discuss the formation of a central British orchard fruit association to co-ordinate the activities of industry organisations and push the industry in one, clear direction.
“A more progressive, and expansionist attitude right across the industry would be good for business,” Breach said. “An expanding industry would need additional supplies and services and this could be a win-win for just about everyone - with the possible exception of overseas producers.”
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