Sector's 'big issues' to be tackled at Fruit Focus 2009

The Forums at Fruit Focus 2009 will tackle the downturn in consumer spend, carbon footprinting of Britain’s orchards and adding biopesticides to extend the active ingredient range available to fruit growers.

The Forums are sponsored by the NFU and Syngenta Bioline and part of the UK’s flagship fruit and vine event which will be held at East Malling Research, Kent, on 22nd July.

Countering downward consumer spend

Kicking off the Forum programme will be tough-talking Professor David Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College and a non-executive director of BerryGardens. “Shopping behaviour has changed with the recession, there is less shopping in premium stores, less eating out, more buying of promotional items and an increase use of discounters in shoppers’ buying mix. There is also an increase in consumers planning and cooking meals at home.”

The spend climate has impacted fresh produce producers in two major ways he suggests, the first is the costs of the enormous promotions which are borne by the producer not the retailer and the trade down has affected premium offerings for example organic and premium ranges. However consumers are buying special treats for consumption at home which does create a value-added opportunity particularly for fruit producers.

“Are we saying that this is the end of the organic and premium sectors? Not at all; these times will pass, but what the recession has highlighted is that the fresh produce sector is not good at understanding who buys what produce and why, and we need to do what it takes to put that right,” he says.

Fresh fruit alone accounts for a market size of close to £4 billion in the UK, 18% of the market is apples and berries account for 16.5%. Professor Hughes is going to use his Forum slot at Fruit Focus to warn that given the market value it would be wholly remiss of fresh produce sector not to take control of its own marketing “The sector has not had the interest, skills and margin to invest in data, but we need to make a start, recession or not, to work more like the FMCG sector. We also need to look at how the fresh produce sector globally has developed its brands and market offerings, a very good example being the Pink Lady apple.”

Biopesticides offer another source of actives

Dr Roma Gwynn of UK-based Rationale Biopesticide Strategists will use the Forums to debate the future role of biopesticides in extending the range of active ingredients available to fruit growers through biopesticides. She argues that this range of actives could help with the food chain’s quest for a zero-residue future.

Dr Gwynn’s work has been focused on identifying biopesticides which would suit the UK growing market by looking at what active ingredients are available in the UK, US and Europe and getting appropriate options approved for use in the UK.

The innovative active ingredients she will discuss originate from botanicals/plant extracts, micro-organisms and semio-chemicals e.g. pheromones.

“My work has been funded by the HDC to underpin their policy development,” she says. “These biopesticides are dependent on the same regulatory approvals as conventional agrochemicals, so it has been important to understand what products are out there and how UK growers could access them.”

As growers continue to lose active ingredients for pest and disease control in the UK, this group of biopesticides could be essential to the future of UK fruit.

To put their value and the issue into context, Dr Gwynn says that there are currently 279 biopesticide actives approved in the USA, 77 under EU Annex 1 listing and only 14 approved for use in the UK. An example of one product approved with Dr Gwynn’s help in the UK is Serenade ASO, a bacteria-based product for Botrytis control in protected strawberries.

Commenting on Dr Gwynn’s paper, Andrew Stevenson from Syngenta Bioline said: Fruit growers are under pressure to provide their customers with product that has been grown in a sustainable production system and is delivered without pesticide residues. Syngenta Bioline has the programmes to meet this need and we continue to research new predators, programmes, systems and techniques to offer ICM solutions for the fruit industry.”

Carbon Footprinting in orchards

Taking the debate wider and more globally, Dr William Wolmer, Managing Director of Blackmoor Estate in Hampshire will be discussing the carbon footprint of English orchards by variety and growing system based on work he conducted using SEEDA funding.

“The research has also allowed for the investigation and testing techniques by which top fruit growers and packers can reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions,” he says.

Prior to taking on the 2,500 acre Blackmoor Estate business in 2005, Dr Wolmer spent 10 years working in rural development in Africa as a research fellow. Blackmoor Estate now has a nursery, farm shop and is best known for its long experience of growing both traditional and new varieties of apples, pears and plums.

Horticulture under the Conservatives

Lord (John) Taylor of Holbeach will speak about how horticulture might fare under the conservatives. He is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Lords and is still active in his family bulb growing and farming business.

Lord Taylor has been active in the affairs of the horticultural industry and is Chairman of Springfields Festival Gardens at Spalding. He is a former Chairman of the NFU Bulb sub-committee and chaired the EU Working Party on the bulb industry. He has also been involved in a number of horticultural research institutions and was the founder member of the Horticultural Development Council.

Fruit Forum timetable

10.00am  How do you counteract consumer spend pressure? Speaker: Prof. David Hughes, Imperial College London and non-executive director, BerryGardens

11.00am Carbon Footprinting in Orchards Speaker: William Wolmer, managing director of Blackmoor Estate

12.00 noon  Horticulture under the Conservatives Speaker: Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

1.00pm Biopesticides in Soft Fruit Speaker: Dr Roma Gwynn, Biopesticide Rationale Strategists about work funded by the HDC
  
Tickets for Fruit Focus are available free of charge by registering through the event website at www.fruitfocus.co.uk.  Visitors will also earn points for attending: 3 NRoSO points and 3 BASIS points.