Horticulture 'must be treated as prime asset and nurtured carefully'

Horticulture must be nurtured post-Brexit, a conference heard
Horticulture must be nurtured post-Brexit, a conference heard

Horticulture must be treated as a prime asset and nurtured carefully as Britain leaves the EU, a high profile conference heard this week.

The Growquip conference in Stratford upon Avon, a pan-industry event which focuses on the key issues facing growers, heard how farmers were the major stewards of the British environment.

It also heard how this needed continued access to innovation, new technology and research.

Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, spoke at the conference. She said: "They need this to produce food in a sustainable way so that we can both feed the world and protect the environment for future generations.

"Horticulture is a key economic asset, and key to meeting the challenges presented by climate change and population growth. In a post-Brexit world, Regulators and policy makers in the UK must - now more than ever - stand with the grower and the consumer in allowing this world-beating sector to thrive and grow."

Her speech touched on the regulation surrounding horticultural research and development, including plant protection products to deter pests and diseases.

She said: "As we leave the EU, it is essential that the UK government, academia, industry, breeders, the agro-chemicals sector, growers and food manufacturers all work together to improve the translation of research into practice."

Recent ministerial statements have pointed to three assumptions about a future British Agricultural Bill and how this might affect the horticultural sector.

Firstly, it is thought that the bill will pay close attention to science based evidence and, if the science agrees, UK law will closely follow what the EU is doing.

Secondly, it will offer the devolved administrations more control than they currently have.

Third, it will look again at risk versus hazard-based regulation so that agricultural legislation may be simplified.