The news this week that stonefruit suppliers are failing to co-operate and support the category by sharing information and funding publicity comes as another blow to a sector that is falling short of the returns it needs.
The letter that landed on our news desk from English Apples & Pears CEO Adrian Barlow and addressed to “all growers of English stonefruit” should sound alarm bells.
This is not the first time that the move to get the trade on track has been derailed by the sector itself. The EAP-led initiative was disrupted first time round when a key retailer pulled out of the project.
This year, it was the turn of the marketing companies to let down the sector - with just a handful of exceptions.
How many more hard years will the stonefruit sector need to go through before it finally takes action?
The fact that it is only thanks to a BBC South East News programme that processor Fourayes spotted an opportunity to relieve plum grower Nigel Bardsley of 30 tonnes of surplus crop suggests that the industry is not communicating well enough.
This comes after plans for a generic campaign from the British Leafy Salads Association fell flat after an appeal for just 0.1 per cent of the industry’s total turnover raised half what was needed.
This time it’s even worse because it’s not even about the money - EAP offered to collect this season’s statistics “without any additional cost”.
Collaboration is the best weapon that the industry has to fight its many obstacles. Don’t make it harder for yourself.
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