The Institute of Horticulture (IoH) has written to prime minister David Cameron demanding the government does not “trivialise” horticulture and cling to an “outdated image” of the sector.
IoH president Sue Minter demanded that Cameron and the coalition government recognise the skills and economic value of the sector and bemoaned the lack of a ministry for horticulture.
In her letter to the PM, Minter wrote: “Rather than making comments that further damage our beleaguered sector, it would be more constructive to instruct your ministers across the board to explore how horticulture can contribute to the delivery of government objectives on a more serious level.”
The IoH has produced a paper, entitled No Plants, No Planet, which sets out the status quo in horticulture and champions its various elements.
The paper claims there is a “lack of recognition of the value of horticulture in its own right and in its role in underpinning a variety of government targets”.
The document states that there is a “lack of appreciation in government of the importance and potential of horticulture as a contributor to economic growth and as an agent for social, cultural and environmental change due to the fact that there is no single horticultural ministry”.
A DEFRA spokesperson said: “We value the contribution the horticulture industry makes to the environment, the economy and to employment. Ministers keep an eye on concerns and developments in the industry and have met several times with the Horticultural Trades Association.”
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