Supply news from Eurofruit
Coverage of Europe’s local and international fruit and vegetable suppliers, including news and analysis of key areas such as production, trade, exports, logistics, and research and development.
Driscoll’s Zara named ‘best overall supermarket strawberry’
Variety sold under Waitrose No.1 range has come top in a survey of retailer strawberries in newspaper taste test
New Defra minister visits NFU president’s farm
Stephen Morgan and Tom Bradshaw discussed challenges facing farming, as the third new Defra minister for Labour in two years takes up role following Angela Eagle’s exit to the Home Office
ESG Drysdale secures £10mn for expansion plans
Scottish veg producer’s funding package from Royal Bank of Scotland will see it invest in production and processing and continue strong growth trajectory
Fieldwork Robotics secures investment from Seed Innovations
The robotic harvesting specialist has received backing from Jim Mellon’s Seed Innovations as part of a £2.5m seed-plus fundraise
‘Camera tricks’ could be misleading berry robots
Robots’ cameras may be misjudging colour of soft fruit, thereby tricking automated systems designed to judge ripeness
First Comber Earlies arrive in stores
Season begins ahead of schedule in Northern Ireland following “fairly kind” growing season to date
Fepex highlights Brexit impact on Spanish trade
Ten years after the Brexit referendum, Spain’s export volumes to the UK have declined significantly while value has jumped 29 per cent
LiVA Biotechnology and Dyson Farming announce commercial-scale strawberry pilot
Dyson will test LiVA’s prebiotic bio-protection technology during the 2026 winter British strawberry season
Waitrose launches year-round British samphire thanks to hydroponics
Glasshouse growing method replicates coastal microclimates to allow continuous UK supply
BerryWorld Iberia marks tenth anniversary with major celebration
Berry marketer celebrates decade of growth with special event in Huelva, the centre of its breeding and production operation
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Kölla predicts strong European grape season despite Italian delay
Importer expects ‘very positive’ European season, as industry continues shift towards high-performing, licensed varieties
Southampton set to install two of Europe’s largest quay cranes
Port operator DP World says £60m investment will boost capacity and future-proof operations at one of UK’s largest container terminals
South African industry responds to Port of Cape Town’s lowly ranking
South Africa’s fresh fruit export organisations have expressed strategic concerns after Cape Town port was ranked last globally
AI platform promises more accurate berry forecasts
GreenView AI says it can improve forecast accuracy to 90 per cent or more using footage of about three per cent of a grower’s crop
NFU urges urgent action on water resilience as climate threat grows
Fifty years on from the infamous 1976 drought, NFU calls for greater government support with on-farm water storage and investment in water-efficient crops and systems
EU regulation on new genomic techniques cleared for launch
European Parliament vote will see gene-editing technologies regulated in same manner as conventional breeding methods
DP World keeps on trucking down electric avenue
Port operator’s accelerator scheme runs offers hauliers 12-week EV trial as decarbonisation effort continues
Perfect conditions bring super-sweet British raspberry crop
Growers having a ‘vintage year’ with ideal growing conditions ensuring standout flavour and quality, according to British Berry Growers
Mansfields reports ‘excellent quality’ as British cherry season begins
Producer expects fruit sizes of up to 34mm as season gets underway a week ahead of schedule
Naturitalia sees greater demand in Europe for premium produce
Italian supplier says Scandinavia and Germany are now ‘testing grounds’ for premium items like stonefruit, grapes and kiwifruit