Large-scale industry event Fruit Focus is to launch of a major new conference at this year's event and has tied up a sponsorship deal with Mack.

The event is expected to draw over 1,200 growers and industry professionals and 120 suppliers to East Malling Research in Kent on 20 July, with all aspects of technology, agronomy, machinery and business information on show.

And this year, the event will be preceded by a key conference, 'Automation: The labour force of the future', which will examine solutions to reduce labour costs in northern European fruit production by drawing on worldwide research and applications from non-related sectors.

"Labour is one of the major costs associated with fruit production," said event director Jon Day. "As it becomes increasingly expensive and skilled workers are more difficult to obtain, growers are looking for innovative ways to solve this problem."

"Our excellent line-up of international and UK speakers will reveal new ways to fully or semi-automate areas of fruit production, thereby increasing productivity, reducing costs and driving efficiency to help feed a growing world population while ensuring the continued profitability of the fruit industry," he added.

Meanwhile, the event has tied up a three-year agreement with Mack, the specialist fruit supplier to multiple retailers, to become principal sponsor - a move that Mack’s executive chairman Chris Mack said would reinforce the company’s renewed focus on UK fruit.

"We’re pledging to increase our work with growers and retailers in this area, so the opportunity to be a core part of Fruit Focus - an event at the forefront of UK fruit production - was an opportunity we knew we wanted to embrace.

"As a specialist at marketing fruit into the multiple retailers, Mack has always taken pride in its UK offer," he noted. "We’re looking to open conversations to help extend this work with new relationships forged at Fruit Focus."

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