Below: Apple Growers Carmella Meyer and James Simpson
Carmella Meyer and James Simpson attended 10 Downing Street yesterday for the FarmToFork summit. Have you seen the headlines? We're absolutely delighted with the pledges - The future of British orchards and the growth of British apple and pear volumes is definitely looking brighter today!
It was a privilege to represent all British top fruit growers. Whilst there is still much not working as well as it could with the fresh produce supply chain in the UK, people are listening.
Press release - PM sets out blueprint to boost British fruit and vegetable sector: May 13 2024
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sets out his blueprint to boost British fruit and vegetable sector as the first UK Food Security Index is published.
A new UK Food Security Index will be published tomorrow
The first draft of the UK Annual Food Security Index will allow the government, industry and farmers to monitor the impacts of external factors, such as Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine or extreme adverse weather events.
It will set out how Government will track UK-wide food security on an annual basis, monitoring domestic food production, land use, input costs and farmer productivity. This year's index will show that the UK farming sector is at its most productive since records began.
.
The Index has been published alongside a new blueprint to grow the UK fruit and vegetable sector in order to reinforce the country's food security. The Food Security Index highlights that currently the UK produces the equivalent of just 17% of the fruit and 55% of the vegetables that end up on British plates, significantly lagging behind meat, dairy and grains.
The Prime Minister will also say at the summit that he wants the government to help the horticulture sector to go further to tackle this challenge. As part of this, a new Horticulture Resilience and Growth offer, which will replace the retained EU scheme, will be rolled out. Through this new scheme, the government will look to double the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses compared to the current scheme, taking it to £80m per year, including making up to £10m available to help English orchard growers access equipment, technology and infrastructure to support the growing of great British fruit.
And the Prime Minister will launch a review into the barriers the horticulture sector is facing to upscale their businesses, including promising to cut red tape around the building of glasshouses. A further £15m will be invested into Genetic Improvement Networks to help boost access to more resilient crop varieties that require fewer inputs and cut farmer costs.
More than 70 businesses and producers working and supporting the food and farming industry are expected to attend the Farm to Fork Summit tomorrow, including farmers, Rodda's, Fischer Farms, Tesco, Aldi and McCains. They will discuss the challenges facing the sector, including the adverse weather conditions they have faced. The past 18 months have been the wettest on record in England, and second wettest six months across the UK. The weather conditions have severely hampered crop production and put further pressure on farmers.
To help combat the impact of adverse weather, the Prime Minister will set out how £75 million fund to support internal drainage boards, announced at the NFU conference, will be used to protect agricultural land, including horticulture businesses, and rural communities from flooding, making them more resilient to climate change through two funds, one for repairs and one will go to building assets that boost resilience, such as pumping stations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "Come rain or shine, I will always back British farmers. From feeding the nation to protecting our countryside, they are vital to the security and the fabric of our country.
"This package of support will help farmers produce more British food, delivers on our long-term plan to invest in our rural communities, and ensures the very best of our homegrown products end up on our plates.
"I know for many farmers, the impact of adverse weather in recent months has made working the land even harder, but my message is clear, our support for you is unwavering and we will be with you every step of the way."
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: "Food security is vital to our national security, which is why today's summit is so important, bringing together government and key representatives from the farming and food sector at Downing Street.
"This announcement will turbocharge the growth of our horticultural sector supporting the building of cutting-edge glasshouses and innovative farming techniques to put British fruit and vegetables on our plates all-year round.
"We will continue to invest in and support farmers to produce the best of British food to strengthen our food security, championing innovation in the sector."
For a full report on the UK Farm to Fork update click on: Outcomes from the UK Farm to Fork summit
That is all for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man