The National Fruit Show celebrated its 70th anniversary this week at the Kent County showground on October 22-23. “We've always known and accepted we're a trade show,” said chairman Robert Mitchell. “But to some extent we've been guilty of neglecting the public, so to celebrate our 70th anniversary we decided to move the fruit display to a new location. After looking at potential venues we decided on Ampleforth Abbey where the monks already run the most northerly commercial apple concern in the country. We're reaching out to two completely different audiences.”

Mitchell also drew attention to the significant increase in competition entries, trade show space and the sell-out gala dinner in his address. And he said that the presence of labour provider Syncordia represented an important step in resolving labour issues. “Local sources of labour have dried up and now the government has finished its labour review the operators have had to tender and Syncordia is here saying it is open and ready for business ñ it supplies more than 500 farms with labour.

“The good news then is that labour issues have been addressed. The employment of ethical legal labour will now be easier. We all want to see an ethical labour policy and this is smoothing the path for this process.”

Mitchell concluded that as a show the event has been the most successful in two to three years. “The response has been great, “ he said, “because it's the 70th anniversary people have really entered into the spirit and many of the stands are featuring historical displays.”

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