The floods of this summer and the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease are a reminder of how fragile the horticulture and agriculture industries can be.

No-one could have predicted how poor this year’s weather would be, nor indeed how it would impact on the horticulture sector. Many growers have lost tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds, and it is clear that the longer term effects have yet to be felt.

Over the years growers have been told that they need to cut their costs, become more efficient and respond to the demands of the market. This they have done and for a lot of growers now there is little fat left to be trimmed, and they run very lean enterprises.

So for many of these firms this year’s unprecedented poor season will be a financial blow from which some will find it hard to recover from. It is here that the grower’s importance as a part of the supply chain will be telling and that means more money for their produce. It is now that the long term supply chain relationships which have been spoken about so much must bear fruit if we are to retain a growing base capable of ensuring that there is a supply of quality British produce to supermarket shelves.

The summer floods will soon fade in the memory of the British public, as surely will the impact that this has had on the British vegetable and potato sectors. Our task must be to ensure that it does not fade in the minds of the retailers when they are sourcing their supplies for the coming season.

I welcome the appointment of Neil Bragg as chairman designate of the horticulture sector company. Neil is well known to the NFU as a past chairman of the British Ornamental Producers Association and we look forward to working with him to ensure that levy payers gain maximum value from the new arrangements. Neil takes over from Andrew Coloquhoun, who ably filled the gap left by the departure of John Hall. I would like to thank Andrew for his input to Levy Board UK over the past few months that has ensured horticulture’s voice has been heard.

With Neil’s appointment it is time for horticulture to move on and capitalise on the benefits and opportunities that are available from working with other levy bodies. This will not be easy but is made all the more harder if we are on the outside looking in. It is time for horticulture to come in from the cold.

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