Government should be looking at the opportunity to grow more fruit and veg domestically rather than focusing on exports, according to the NFU.
NFU’s horticulture and potato board chairwoman, Ali Capper, who is an apple and hops grower from Worcestershire, said that British growers and businesses can take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit presents to increase domestic production and consumption.
Speaking on the Big Debate panel at FPJ Live, the UK's fruit and vegetable congress, she said: “I get very frustrated about the government obsession with exports. What we should be looking at is the opportunity to grow more here in the UK.
“Government needs to be more positive with the public. They are fed up with negative health messages. They would benefit from more positive messaging and as a sector we have a lot of positives to talk about.”
Public concerned with health
The panel, also featuring fruit company Berry Gardens and the Food Foundation and the British Growers' Association, said that the public is now more concerned with health and the horticulture industry can play a big part in that shift.
“If the government talks more positively in health terms about what the public can do more of, by default they will end up doing less of what they shouldn’t do,” Ms Capper added.
“In the UK we are some of the most sophisticated farmers and growers but when we’re looking at planting new varieties, how many of us put nutrition at the top of the list? The economic factors of yield, taste and colour will be at the top.
“If we change the conversation from the bottom up, we will change things.”
'Lifts and shifts'
Increasing domestic production is not the only opportunity as a result of Brexit, according to Ms Capper.
The government has a chance to change regulation as it “lifts and shifts” EU policies back into the statute book.
“There’s no point going through this seismic process unless we seize change in regulation that will work for farmers. For example, the UK has a different climate. It rains more. We have different disease challenges. We have different pest challenges. We have an opportunity now to address some of this.”
Yesterday (4 May), NFU President Meurig Raymond said British farmers must not be placed at a disadvantage compared to European counterparts as a result of leaving the EU.
The NFU has released its manifesto ahead of the General Election with five key ingredients for prospective parliamentary candidates to adopt to back British farming, including making Brexit a success.
