The Horticultural Development Company (HDC) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) are jointly funding a series of half-day seminars to improve growers’ knowledge of how to minimise the risk of microbial contamination of their fresh produce.

A total of nine seminars will be organised later this month and throughout November in venues across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The seminars, which are being organised by Jim Monaghan of Harper Adams University College and Mike Hutchison of Hutchison Scientific are part of a package of work to help growers avoid and minimise microbial contamination in all edible crops.

Both bodies have already released a fact sheet to the industry on monitoring microbial food safety in their produce. It provides an overview of the main food poisoning organisms posing a risk to fresh produce, summarises the possible indicator species that can be tested for, details how to interpret the results and also offers a resume of the appropriate corrective action where required.

Subsequently, new web-based tools have been developed to support risk assessments in water use, manure or composted manure inputs and worker hygiene. These are designed to help growers make decisions on relative risk, based on scientific evidence and current FSA recommendations.

The seminars have been timed to coincide with the launch of these web-based tools and will not only inform growers of the best practice approach to risk assessment, but provide training on how to use the new tools. The dates and venues of the nine seminars are:

27 October, Peshore College, Avonbank, Peshore, Worcestershire, WR10 3JP

28 October, Coleg Sir Gar, Ammanford Campus, Dyffryn Road, Ammanford, SA18 3TA, Wales

3 November, STC, Cawood, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 3TZ

5 November, Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB

8 November, SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, Scotland

10 November, EMR, New Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ

11 November, Chichester College, Westgate Fields, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1SB

19 November, AFBINI, Large Park, Hillsborough, Co Downs, BT 26 6 DR, Northern Ireland

26 November, ADAS Boxworth, Battlegate Road, Boxworth, Cambridge, CB23 4NN

There are 20 places available at each venue and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Attendance is free of charge. Those wishing to attend should register with the HDC.