Lords calls for urgent UK hort strategy

UK horticulture, the £5 billion industry focusing on fruit, vegetables and ornamental plants, is under-prioritised and unappreciated by policymakers, leaving holes in the nation’s food security and ability to meet net zero goals.

So says a new report, ‘Sowing the seeds: A blooming English horticultural sector’, published today (6 November) by the cross-party House of Lords Horticultural Sector Committee.

UK growers have been hit hard by rising fertiliser and energy costs due to the ongoing impact of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, the report finds. The sector is also struggling to attract new talent and is perceived as unattractive and inaccessible. This has led to a reliance on seasonal migrant labour.

At the same time, the adoption of exciting new technologies to support the transition to more environmentally-friendly, less labour-intensive growing methods is dependent on an effective R&D landscape and a secure skilled labour supply.

The committee was particularly damning on the role of supermarkets, whose loss-leader strategies squeeze grower returns in favour of low prices for consumers, and which prioritise cheaper imports over UK-grown produce.

The report is calling on the government to take steps to safeguard the future of the sector and harness its potential to deliver on critical food security and environmental goals. It says:

1. The government needs to make good on its promise to publish a Horticulture Strategy for England to set direction for the sector and give growers confidence.
2. It must back horticulture jobs by putting horticulture on the curriculum, producing a workforce strategy, and publishing its review of the seasonal worker visa route.
3. More support must be given to amateur and professional growers to help them transition to environmentally friendly practices such as using peat-free growing media.
4. It should urgently conduct and publish its review of fairness in the supply chain.
5. It needs to review the R&D landscape to support innovation.

Lord Redesdale, chair of the Horticultural Sector Committee, said: “Horticulture is a multi-billion-pound industry employing over 50,000 people, but it is too frequently overlooked by policymakers.

“In the face of a cost-of-living crisis, supermarkets are battling to keep prices down, but this squeezes UK growers out of the market in favour of cheaper imports. This fundamentally threatens food security and the domestic market for ornamentals.

“Our report calls on the government to publish the ‘world leading’ Horticulture Strategy it promised over a year ago and get on with its review of fairness in the horticulture supply chain,” he said.

“As part of this, it must secure the skills pipeline by boosting the place of horticulture on the curriculum, draw up a clear workforce strategy, and urgently address reports of exploitation linked to the seasonal worker visa.

“With the confidence and support of government, the horticulture sector can realise its limitless potential.”

The Horticultural Sector Committee is cross-party special inquiry committee and was appointed in January 2023 to explore the industry that deals with the growing of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants.