The NFU today launches a campaign that tells the public to get their five a day the British way. The Why Horticulture Matters campaign aims to show why eating British fruit and vegetables is important not only for our health but for the nation’s economy.
With New Covent Garden market as the setting, NFU president Peter Kendall led the launch, chaired by NCG chairman Baroness Brenda Dean, to urge the country to support UK growers.
The report highlights the importance of horticulture in several ways:
• An estimated £1.2 billion is contributed to the British economy from horticulture alone
• 37,000 people currently work in the industry with an additional 4.8 million seasonal days for migrant workers
• 120 growers reduced their carbon emissions under the Climate Change Levy scheme - equivalent to taking 15,000 family cars off the road in 2006
• In terms of the nation’s health, five portions of fruit and veg a day are said to reduce the risks of cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses
• In terms of the countryside farmers and growers carry out more than £400m of unpaid conservation work each year
“We are rightly proud of our British growers who supply us with fresh and seasonal fruit, vegetables and flowers,” said Richard Hirst, NFU horticulture board chairman. “This diverse sector underpins our nation’s health providing all of the essential ingredients for our five a day as well as contributing greatly to its wealth.
“Growers are already providing solutions to many of the 21st century’s key issues such as climate change and reducing food miles, and they form the backbone of the UK food chain. For all of these reasons, this is why horticulture matters.”
