Strawberry picking robots, vertical farms and policy debates were on the agenda at annual industry fruit show along with findings from pollination and growing media trials
Innovation, climate change and opportunities in the EU were key topics at Fruit Focus 2025, with an emphasis on how innovation could help tackle these challenges.
More than 1,500 visitors from the fresh fruit and wine-making sectors gathered at the show, which took place on 9 July at the East Malling Research Station.
“I want to highlight the opportunity brought to us by the government’s food strategy; we would hope this is our big opportunity to get the level of government support we know our sector needs,” said Martin Emmett, chair of the NFU Horticulture Board. “But it’s not a simple shoe-in - we have to fight our corner.”
The opportunities around EU trade following the recent ’reset deal’ also present an opportunity, speakers said, particularly for the berry sector.
“We’ve got a massive opportunity to export fresh berries to Europe,” said Nick Marston, chair of British Berry Growers, who pointed to ongoing trade friction as a barrier.
Visitors also joined the Niab-led research tours across the site, including the strawberry vertical farming research facility.
“I was delighted so see so many key players from the fresh produce industry at East Malling for Fruit Focus,” said Niab CEO Mario Caccamo. “This is a sector that is thirsty for innovation and can set up global standards for environmentally-aware horticulture and high-quality produce.
“The challenges are significant and it is clear that we will need the support from progressive government policies for the sector to be successful,” he added.
R&D at Fruit Focus
Elsewhere at the show, companies exhibited the latest innovations to manage the hot temperatures and low rainfall that have become a key talking point in this year’s growing season.
These included a new diesel pump from Agri Management Solutions, which can be controlled from a smartphone and suits both small and large farms, as well as a robotic strawberry picker from Dogtooth Technologies.
“It ensures each punnet weighs similarly and fills (a tray load of punnets) at the same time, providing consistency and quality,” said Dogtooth’s commercial manager Daniel Stockhill. “What’s more, one human can oversee 12 robots, massively improving labour efficiency and addressing workforce challenges.”
From the R&D side, Aurélie Bovi, innovation sector lead at UK Agritech Centre, highlighted a project that guides bee activity to boost pollination and nutrition in strawberries, and another project using Polybee drones to create pollen troughs and enhance fruit quality.
Plant media company GyroPlant exhibited its reusable plug system that replaces traditional substrates in strawberry production, while fruit company Dole showcased its strawberry trial, where seedlings are grown without soil. After six months of testing kale, lettuce, and now strawberry seedlings, results are promising for a cleaner, more sustainable growing system, the company said.
