National Fruit Show 2022 Handbook

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We are thrilled to be exhibiting at the 89th National Fruit Show, from 2nd to 3rd November 2022. Visitors to our stand will be able to speak to our team of agricultural, food and farming experts.

We are proud to be supporting Porchlight a Kent based charity and will be serving up some delicious hot apple crumble in exchange for a small donation, so please meet us on stand K23

2021 show champion Jeremy Lindsell

Contents

President’s Message

Timetable

Committee

Speaker

Dinner

Education and Workshop Programme

Fruit Show Gallery

Show Sponsors

UKCA/Isolcell

Seymour

Feature articles

OnePay and NFS Education Programme

you getting the credit you deserve?

service

Francis Todd obituary

Woolridge obituary

Apples & Pears puts #ValueAtTheCore

exciting new beginning

Growing Kent & Medway grants support

fruit industry research

Published by the Marden Fruit Show Society

Charity number 1168291.

Produced by: South East Farmer magazine

Front Cover image: PiP Ltd

The Marden Fruit Show Society would like to thank the many sponsors and supporters of the National Fruit Show and those who generously contributed articles to the handbook. The views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent those of the Society.

© 2022 Marden Fruit Show Society – No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means or stored in any information storage and retrieval system without the Marden Fruit Show Society’s written permission.

research talent emerging from the CTP

crop research programme

research is essential

informed agronomy

to work towards Net-Zero

MFSS AGM and Technical Conference

wealth of health

dermatological benefits

the Wild

at Loddington

did the Fruiterers ever do for us?

agricultural robot available for innovation

2021 growing season and fruit maturities

Nigel Barden, Sarah Calcutt and Melissa Cole at Baretilt Farm Hartley, prior

‘Love Cider 2022’

The Education team at the Kent Show

New challenges

How can we as an industry take advantage of new initiatives and cope with new challenges?

Once again, we look forward to the National Fruit Show which brings together the whole industry and provides an opportunity to network with the whole food chain, see top class produce and discuss the latest developments in our industry both technical and varietal.

As an industry we face a series of new challenges including rising energy costs, worry about the increasing price of food and ongoing concern over labour shortages. Climate Change has risen higher on the agenda and there is general concern over water usage.

In addition to this we have seem a complete change in the leadership of the country and DEFRA.

In June, this year the Government published its Food Strategy which contains some real initiatives, both short and long term that the fruit industry can consider taking advantage of.

There is a stated long-term commitment to support a resilient, healthier, and more sustainable food system that is affordable to all. We need to understand how our industry can benefit from this strategy whilst ensuring we are receiving a fair price for our products.

Post Brexit the Government has pledged that future agricultural policy will seek to financially reward sustainable farming practice, make space for nature within the farmed landscape and help farmers reduce cost. We need to understand how the fruit industry can benefit from these pledges.

Our products play a key part in the nation’s diet, and we need to take advantage of the encouragement for consuming more fresher, rather than more processed, food products as part of a healthy diet.

The Food Strategy commits to looking at ways to help us increase our production. The show is a wonderful opportunity to review this policy either via the Fruiterers’ Conference or with individual growers, industry experts and associations.

The Society’s brilliant educational programme is expanding, and I want to pay credit to those leading and supporting this important initiative. It is vital we use every opportunity to help the next generation know both where their food comes from and how enjoyable and healthy our products are.

On the commercial side the Show provides an opportunity to see the latest in both Agritech and research.

As this is my last year as President, I wish to pay tribute to Sarah Calcutt, our brilliant executive Chair, and her team who work so hard behind the scenes during the year to make sure the Show is a success and of real benefit to the industry.

We are also extremely grateful to those sponsors and exhibitors who continue to support the Society over the years and welcome new sponsors who are joining us for the first time.

I would also like to personally thank those volunteers and growers who take the trouble to exhibit their top class produce which makes the show such an important showcase for our industry.

I look forward to a successful and beneficial 89th Show. ■

Teresa Wickham

The very best of British fruit growing

This is my thirteenth year in the Chair, for all of this time we have been trying to move the show into November to be beyond the peak of harvest. Finally, we have a show to be delivered on 2-3 November! We have such a good show for you as well, with many familiar faces being joined by new and exciting innovative businesses.

From labour providers to agritech companies, from the latest crop protection products (there’s an exciting launch at the show this year) to machinery innovation the 89th National Fruit Show has it all. The show has a focus on sustainability this year, both from a technical and research perspective and also from our needs for education and recruitment. With our education team now reaching thousands of young people from age 4 to 18 it is critical that we ensure that we continue to inspire and engage with young people who could bring so much to our industry.

At the time of writing we are not able to reveal who will be opening the show this year, suffice to say that her presence will very welcome and the focus of her visit will be young people, careers in horticulture and food. We will also be hosting a round table discussion on these themes, a very strong panel of industry and educational leaders will be meeting to discuss how we might best reach out to careers advisors, rebuilding food, cooking, nutrition and environmental sciences back into the curriculum.

We are delighted to be hosting our third Fruiterers Livery conference, this has become such a popular part of our event, Master Fruiterer Laurence Olins will again be chairing a panel of scholars and research scientists who are delivering livery sponsored R&D to benefit British fruit growers. The morning conference session will conclude with a keynote presentation from Christine Tacon MDS and Saffy Waterson CEO of MDS who will be giving the Fruiterers Livery keynote address entitled ‘Career opportunities and breaking down perceived barriers’. The sessions continue into the afternoon where conference stage sponsors MHA MacIntyre Hudson will be teaming up with the Rural Policy Group to deliver a lively debate entitled ‘Farming for the Environment’. Chairing this session will be BBC Countryfile’s Tom Heap, bringing his broadcasting experience; its guaranteed to be a heated discussion and one I would recommend that you attend if you wish to raise comment on environmental schemes, the benefit to the nation of a healthy farming sector and wish to see an increase in food security in the UK.

The show governance is in good hands these days,

Sarah Calcutt, Executive Chair

Andrew Tinsley now chairs our Trustees, this is now an expanded group that includes Colin Bird, Kathleen Kelliher (Defra), Claire Seymour, Annette Bardsley and Jonathan Blackman. With Annette Bardsley and Estera Amesz sharing the Vice-Chair duties I am well supported and the dynamic duo of Norma and our new recruit Rachel have been having a wonderful time putting the show together with me. We’ve had a great turnout for the juice and cider competitions, more companies booked into the show than ever, and a fabulous dinner set to raise lots of money to enable our amazing educational team to continue their great work. A schedule of lots is published with the detail of the dinner later in the handbook, if you are unable to attend the dinner (you’ll be missing out...) then we are able to take sealed bids up until 6pm on 2 November.

We hope you enjoy this handbook, our largest ever. Many thanks to all of the contributors, we have worked hard to produce a directory that will help your business in the year ahead.

Finally, thank you to everyone involved in the show, one of the real joys of this job is the people. The Marden Fruit Show Society was founded out of friendship, driven by the desire to showcase the very best of British fruit growing, nothing has changed over the last 89 years, it feels good to be continuing this fine tradition, showing what the industry does best! ■

Timetable

Wednesday 2nd November

09:00 Press briefing

10:00 Show opens

10.15 Conference begins.

Session 1

Worshipful Company of Fruiterers

10.15 Soft Fruit Judging begins

11.00 Tastiest apple judging begins, John Hendry Hall

12.30 President’s reception

14.00 ‘Farming for the Environment’ Rural Policy Group debate

17.30 Show closes

Show Dinner

Venue The Clive Emson Conference Centre, Kent Showground (booked seats only)

18.30 Orchard World reception

19.30 The show dinner

00.00 Carriages

Thursday 3rd November

10.00 Show opens

12.30 Prize winners reception

13.00 Prize giving

15.00 Show closes

The prize giving ceremony held at 1pm on 3rd November – everyone is welcome to share the success of the outstanding entrants in the fruit and nut competitions.

Sponsored by

President’s reception held at 12.30 on 2nd November

Sponsored by

Show dinner held at 19.30 on 2nd November Sponsored by

Marden Fruit Show Society Committee

President

Teresa Wickham

Treasurer

Chris Morris

Executive Chairman

Sarah Calcutt

Vice Chairman

Estera Amesz

Annette Bardsley

Education

Mandy Hounsell

Samantha Smith

Irianne Styles

Registration Form

MFFS Admin

Rachel Heather

Competition Manager

Norma Tompsett

Chairman of the Judges

Brian Tompsett

Senior Steward

Wendy Johnson

General Committee Members

Estera Amesz

Annette Bardsley

Colin Bird

Jonathan Blackman

John Breach

Ben Brown

Alex Cook Sally Flannagan

John Guest

Adrian Harris

Wendy Johnson

Jamie McGrorty

Tom Ogden

Robert Oliver

Claire Seymour

Nick Seymour

Paul Smith

Mike Stoker

Chris Tanton

Andrew Tinsley

Brian Tompsett

Brendan Rhodes

Joanna Wood

Chair of Trustees

Andrew Tinsley

Trustees

Annette Bardsley

Jonathan Blackman

Colin Bird

Kathleen Kelliher

Claire Seymour

VISITOR

Apple and Pear Competition Classes

Championship Prizes and Trophies.

The NFU Prize Prize Best all round exhibit in Show

The Roderick Sarson Memorial Trophy Best all round exhibit of apples

The Stokes Bomford Rose Bowl Best exhibit of dessert apples

The Podger Norton Trophy Best exhibit of culinary apples

The Bayer Rose Bowl Best exhibit of pears

The Fruiterers Company Medal The most meritorious exhibit of dessert apples

The Fruiterers Company Medal The most meritorious exhibit of culinary apples

The Fruiterers Company Medal The most meritorious exhibit of pears

The Fyffes Salver Best exhibit of Bramley

The UKF Fertilisers Cup Best exhibit of Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport

The John Henshall Salver Best exhibit of any dessert apple grown in the UK outside Kent

The Winch Memorial Challenge Cup Exhibitor gaining the highest points total for Weald of Kent. Exhibits in all classes (restricted to exhibits grown in Kent, south of the M20 motorway)

The John Thwaites Challenge Bowl Exhibitor gaining the highest points total for all exhibits in all classes (restricted to exhibits grown in Kent, north of the M20 motorway)

The Fiennes Cornwallis Trophy Exhibitor gaining the highest total of points in all classes

The Cantagrians Association Cup Best exhibit picked and packed by a former student of Hadlow College, KFI or KHI

The JP Fruit Distributors Cup Best exhibit of Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport in Class 20 (Dessert Apples, Exhibitor under 40)

The W Bruce Challenge Cup Best exhibit of dessert apples excluding COP or any Sport in Class 20 (Dessert apples, Exhibitor under 40)

The Dan Wuille Cup Exhibit of culinary apples showing the best colour and skin for variety

The David Burd Memorial Trophy Entrant with most points in Classes 18/19/20/21

The R Mitchell Challenge Cup Best exhibit of any dessert apple variety introduced to the UK after 2000 The BIFGA prize Exhibit gaining most points entered by a BIFGA member

The John Acock Memorial Rosebowl

Exhibitor with most points in Culinary Classes

The Norman Collett Memorial Trophy Panel Selection Agrovista Regional Champion Cup Grower with most points from Eastern Counties

Agrovista Regional Champion Cup Grower with most points from West Midlands

The J R Breach Prize

The Joan Buttfield Trophy

The CPM Ltd Trophy

The Bloomfields Cup

The John Bardsley Tankard

Best entry of Nuvar™; Cheerfull Gold™ NC1; Stardance™ NC2; Cabaret™ NC3

Best overall entry of strawberries

Best overall entry of raspberries

Best overall entry of blackberries

Most Meritorious Entry of Cobnuts

The Four Jays Group Trophy Best Blended Apple Juice

The A&P Hill (Fruit) Trophy Best Single Variety Apple Juice

The Crown Trophy Best Blended Juice (two or more types of juice)

South East Farmer Trophy

Best overall trade stand

The Engage Agro Europe Ltd Trophy Best Traditional Cider

The Engage Agro Europe Ltd Trophy Best Perry/Pear

The Engage Agro Europe Ltd Trophy Best MIxed Blend

Apple and Pear Competition Classes 2022

Classes 1-21 judged and displayed at the show

Each entry will consist of three 60cm x 40 cm trays. Fruit to be selected at the stewards’ discretion for detailed examination by the judges. First prize winners in Classes 1-21 will receive one National Fruit Show Silver Teaspoon per winning entry.

First – £75

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year)

Class 1

Bramley 90-100mm diameter

The Alfred Shread Challenge Cup

Class 2

Bramley 80-90mm diameter

Squire Salver

Class 3

Second – £50

Third – £25

Prizes: Classes 1-16 Open to All Growers

Prize for Best Exhibit presented by Prize Money for Class sponsored by

Agrii Ltd The Twyman Prize Wealden AM

The Avalon Fresh Ltd Prize Marden NFU

Wealden AM Prize Wealden AM

Any other variety of culinary apples 75-100mm diameter, with 5mm differential

Dufaylite Developments Cup

Class 4

Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport of Cox 70-75mm diameter Systhane Cup

Class 5

Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport of Cox 65-70mm diameter Vernon Hayes (Seeds) Ltd Challenge Cup

Class 6

Rubens* 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

A R Piller Challenge Cup

Class 7

JazzTM 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

Fuller Water Systems Trophy

Class 8 The Roger Worraker Class

Gala or any Sport of Gala 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

Pask Cornish & Smart Cup

Class 9

Russets: All varieties 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter Foreman Salver

Class 10

Cameo 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

Cornwallis Cup

Class 11

Braeburn or any Sport of Braeburn 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

The WASP Bin Trophy

Class 12

Any Other Variety of Dessert Apple

Small fruited varieties 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

Large fruited varieties 70-75mm or 75-80mm diameter

George Harlow Cup

Invicta Petroleum Shield

The Landseer Ltd Prize

The Bayer CropScience Prize South East Farmer

The Avalon Fresh Ltd Prize Avalon Fresh Ltd

Worldwide Fruit Ltd Prize Worldwide Fruit Ltd

Greencell Ltd Prize Greencell Ltd

The Fruit Grower Prize The Fruit Grower

The Avalon Fresh Ltd Prize Avalon Fresh Ltd

Worldwide Fruit Ltd Prize Worldwide Fruit Ltd

The New Spitalfields Market Prize New Spitalfields Market

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year)

Class 13

Comice 70-75mm, 75-80mm or 80-85mm diameter

Ernest White Cup

Class 14

Conference 60-65mm or 65-70mm diameter

AMG Trophy

Class 15

Concorde Fruit must be 60-65mm, 65-70mm or 70-75mm diameter

East Kent Packers Cup

Class 16

Any Other Variety of Pear 60-65mm, 65-70mm, 70-75mm, 75-80mm or 80-85mm diameter

Segro Salver

Prize for Best Exhibit presented by Prize Money for Class sponsored by

Richard Hochfeld Ltd Prize Lambert & Foster

Azets Prize Azets

Greenyard Fresh UK Prize MFSS

NFU Sittingbourne Prize MFSS

Class 18

Dessert Apples

Fruit for this class must be within the size for the variety as listed in classes 4-12

Henshall Rose Bowl

The FP Matthews Prize Richard Hochfeld Ltd Class 19

Pears

Fruit for this class must be within the size for the variety as listed in classes 13-16

Horticultural Containers Wine Goblets

Richard Hochfeld Ltd Prize Richard Hochfeld Ltd Class 20

Dessert Apples - Entrants under age 40. Western International Market Shield for Dessert Apples

The Sue Daly Novice Trophy

Class 21

Dessert Apples - Entrants under age 40. The Arthur Goatham Memorial Trophy

Haynes Agricultural (Kent) Ltd Prize

MFSS

The A C Goatham & Son Prize A C Goatham & Son

An award of £50 to the packer of the overall winning entry in Classes 18/19/20/21

The David Burd Memorial Trophy for the entrant gaining most points in Classes 18/19/20/21 Agrovista Regional Champion Cup

The grower from Eastern Counties and West Midlands with the most points will receive the Agrovista Regional Champi on Cup (awarded for one year) plus a cheque for £100

Prizes: First – £75

£50 Third

£25

Landseer Ltd will also award a special prize of £50 to the Store Operator of the first prize winning entry in each of these classes. The Ron Tassell Trophy is awarded for the Store Operator of the Best All-Round Exhibit in the LTFS classes.

Class 22 Gala or any Sport of Gala

TBC TBC

The John Wills Award Wealden AM Wealden AM

Class 23 Bramley

Class 24 Any Variety of Dessert Apple except Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport of Cox, Gala or Braeburn

TBC TBC

Class 25 Cox’s Orange Pippin or any Sport of Cox

The Marks & Spencer Trophy

Bloomfields Chartered Town Planners

Bloomfields Chartered Town Planners Class 26 Pears Wealden AM Wealden AM

Class 27 Braeburn TBC TBC

Long Term Farm-Stored Classes 2022 - Results

Prizes: First

£75

£50

£25

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year) First Second Third Class 22 Gala

The Bloomfield Award

A C Goatham & Son

Littlechild & Son Ltd

Ian Overy Farms Simon Mount F W Mansfield & Son Figgis Farms

Class 23 Bramley The John Wills Award

Simon Bray

A Hinge & Son F W Mansfield Class 24 Any Other Variety of Dessert Apple

A C Goatham & Son Simon Bray Littlechild & Son Ltd Class 25 Cox

The Marks & Spencer Trophy

A C Goatham & Son A C Goatham & Son Moatlands Farm Simon Bray

F W Mansfield & Son A C Goatham & Son Class 27 Braeburn The Lambert & Foster Award

Class 26 Pears

Ron Tassell Trophy for the Store Operator of the Best All Round Exhibit

Adrian Scripps Ltd Simon Bray Simon Mount Littlechild & Son Ltd

Krzystof Gancarczyk

2022 Love Cider Competition

It was an absolute delight to welcome back judges Melissa Cole and Nigel Barden to judge a nationwide selection of ciders this year.

Joined by Adrian Harris from NIAB EMR and our chair, Sarah, our panel applied their olfactory senses in the search for Britain’s top cider or perry. We received three times the nominations this year, there was a truly national spread of impressive ciders for them to taste and some exceptionally high scoring entries.

Results will be announced on 3 November 2022.

Sponsored by Adrian Harris

Discover our world-class research, innovation and enterprise cluster

Establishing the Kent and Medway region as a leader in climate-smart, sustainable, horticultural food and drink production. Investing in;

State-of-the-art infrastructure Collaborative research and innovation Enterprise growth

Join our pioneering horticultural food and drink network Sign-up for news, events, and grant funding opportunities.

New Soft Fruit Classes 2022

Packaging sponsored by Produce Packaging Ltd

Prizes: First – £75 Second – £50

Third – £25

Prize for Best Exhibit presented by Prize Money for Class sponsored by Class 31 Strawberries - any one variety Berry Gardens Ltd Berry Gardens Ltd

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year)

The Joan Buttfield Trophy presented by the Nuclear Stock Association for the Best Overall entry of Strawberries Class 32 Raspberries – any one variety F Edmed and Son F Edmed and Son

CPM Ltd Trophy for the best overall entry of Raspberries

Class 33 Blackberries – any one variety

The Bloomfields Cup for best overall entry of Blackberries

Cobnut and Walnut Classes 2022

East Malling Trust East Malling Trust

Organised in conjunction with the Kentish Cobnuts Association and The Walnut Club. Packaging sponsored by Berry Gardens Ltd.

Prizes:

Second – £50 Third – £25

Prize for Best Exhibit presented by Prize Money for Class sponsored by Class 50 Kentish Cobnuts MFSS MFSS Class 51 Cobnuts – any other variety MFSS The Rural Planning Practice

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year)

The John Bardsley Tankard for the Most Meritorious Entry of Cobnuts Class 55 Walnuts - Eight nuts in their shells unbleached in each punnet. Open to commercial and amateur growers.

Bennett Opie Ltd Bennett Opie Ltd

Tastiest and Heaviest Apple Competition

Competition Prize Money for Class sponsored by Tastiest Apple Competition The Fruit Grower Tastiest Pear Competition The Fruit Grower Competition for the Five Heaviest Apples NIAB-EMR Competition for the Five Heaviest Pears NIAB-EMR

Cider and Perry Classes 2022

Prizes: for the winner in each class

First – £75 £100

Class and Perpetual Trophy (held for 1 year)

Prize for Best Exhibit presented by Prize Money for Class sponsored by Class 44 Traditional Cider Engage Agro Europe Ltd Engage Agro Europe Ltd Class 45 Pear/Perry Engage Agro Europe Ltd Engage Agro Europe Ltd Class 46 Mixed Blend Apple or pear plus any other ingredient Engage Agro Europe Ltd Engage Agro Europe Ltd

Class Exhibitor

Apple and Pear Classes

Class 1 : Bramley 90 - 100mm

Class 2 : Bramley 80 - 90mm

Class 3 : AOV Culinary Apples

Class 4 : Cox's Orange Pippin or any Sport

Class 5 : Cox's Orange Pippin or any Sport

Class 6 : Rubens

Bardsley-England

Bardsley-England

Mallions Farm

Bardsley-England

Bardsley-England

R D Applegrowers

Class 7 : Jazz J L Baxter & Son

Class 8 : Gala or any Sport of Jonagold

R D Applegrowers

Class 9 : Russets Mallions Farm

Class 10 : Cameo Richard Edmed

Class 11 : Braeburn Clockhouse Farm Ltd

Class 12 : AOV Dessert Apple

Class 13 : Comice

Mallions Farm

J L Baxter & Son

Class 14 : Conference B Piper Partnership

Class 15 : Concorde J L Baxter & Son

Class 16 : AOV Pear Richard Edmed

Class 18 : Dessert Apples (Novice)

Class 20 : Dessert Apples, Exhibitor U40

Braiseworth Orchards

Charnee Butcher

Class 21: Bramley Exhibitor U40 Katie Langridge

Heaviest and Biggest Classes

5 Heaviest Apples (4752 gms)

Derrick May (Farms) Ltd

Single Heaviest Apple (1023 gms) Derrick May (Farms) Ltd

5 Heaviest Pears (3603 gms)

Single Heaviest Pear (681 gms)

Soft Fruit Classes

Class 31 : Strawberries Everbearers

L Stevens & Sons

L Stevens & Sons

W B Chambers & Son

Class 32 : Raspberries J Myatt Ltd Class 33 : Blackberries Clockhouse Farm Ltd Nut Classes

Class 50: Kentish Cobnuts

Elverton Farms Ltd

Class 51 : AOV Cobnuts Elverton Farms Ltd Class 55 : Walnuts

Tastiest Apple Competition

Tastiest Apple

Tastiest Pear Competition

Tastiest Pear

Apple Juice

Brice Walnuts

Elverton Farms Ltd - GALA

B Piper Partnership

Four Elms Fruit Farm Class 41 Single Variety Juices

Class 40 Blended Apple Juices

Orchards Farm Ltd

Class 42 Blended Juices Ringden Farm Ltd

Cider Classes

Class 44 Traditional Cider

Class 45 Perry/Pear Cider

The Taunton Cider Company

Turners Cider Ltd

Class 46 Blended Cider Turners Cider Ltd Best Trade Stands

Best Trade Stand

H L Hutchinson Ltd

Best Machinery Stand Kirkland

Best Shell Scheme RBLI Ltd

NFU South East Prize For Best Fruit Exhibit in show

Clockhouse Farm Ltd Bonanza Prize Banfields

We’re not just accountants…

MHA’s agricultural, food and farming expertise is rooted in a wide-ranging client list that spans family farms across livestock, dairy, arable and fresh produce, through to large commercial organisations in agri-business.

Both the Head of Agriculture (Sarah Dodds), and Head of Renewables (Rachel Nutt) own and live on working farms, with several others within the team also having working experience of, or a background in, agriculture, food and farming. This forms the close connection with clients MHA is known for, giving them confidence in the practical advice and meaningful solutions provided.

MHA is the UK member of Baker Tilly International which gives the firm access to 36,400 professionals in more than 146 territories worldwide. Meaning we have the global reach to translate clients international ambitions into new markets.

Our agricultural clients are spread out all over the country, and primarily serviced out of 2 of the 17 offices which act as agricultural hubs of expertise, one in the South East and the other in the East Midlands.

The firm also has a plethora of experience in many related sectors, particularly with manufacturers and providers of agri-chemicals and plant machinery as well as leisure, tourism and property.

We actively champion sector issues that matter and strive to make a difference through effective commercial support and lobbying, and also set up the Rural Policy Group as a conduit to make this happen.

As a firm of chartered accountants, tax and business advisers, MHA works in partnership with clients to navigate the ever-changing business world and proactively identifying the opportunities that tomorrow presents. We take the time to create great relationships with clients to become not just their trusted advisers, but valued partners that face the future together.

We are passionate about helping agricultural, food and farming businesses succeed and making their ambitions a reality.

Please visit our website to learn more about us and read about our experts. macintyrehudson.co.uk

Sarah Dodds

Rachel Nutt Partner

Mark Lumsdon-Taylor

Spencer

The Fruiterers Livery Conference

2 November 2022

10.15 Welcome from the Master Fruiterer

10.20 Lauren Farwell: The Epidemiology and Management of Cladosporium on Raspberry

10.40 Adam Peter: ‘Apples in a warmer world’

11.00

Thomas Heaven: Improving disease diagnosis in Fruit Crops

11.20 Pete Thompson: Essex Extra Virgin, Californian Lemons, menu surfing, horti-forestry and the environment

11.40

2022 keynote address from Christine Tacon MDS and Saffy Waterson CEO of MDS: ‘Career opportunities and breaking down perceived barriers’

Worshipful Company of Fruiterers

Chair: Master Fruiterer

Laurence Stephen Olins

J.P., B.Com. Hons

With 48 years experience in fresh produce industry, Laurence is a highly respected member of the international food community. As the founder of the City Food Lecture he has delivered insight and an enduring legacy, now Master Fruiterer for the second time we are delighted that he is leading the panel of livery sponsored researchers, scholars and recipients of special merit awards.

Farming for the Environment

RPG convenes a panel of food’s most innovative thinkers to discuss what the future holds for Britain’s farmers, growers and producers as every part of society seeks to become more sustainable. We explore the new technologies that could revolutionise the fruit industry, increase the UK’s self-sufficiency and boost profitability of food businesses, all while protecting the country from climate change and economic shocks. We also ask

2 November 2022 | 2.00pm

how the fruit industry would prepare to take another technological and environmental leap forward and how it can be best supported.

• Tom Heap, BBC in the chair

• Clarke Willis OBE, Food Enterprise Partnership

• Joe Spencer, MHA

• Sarah Dodds, MHA

Laurence Stephen Olins

Christine Tacon

Sustainable innovation in horticulture

Join the Growing Kent & Medway team on day 2 to learn more about our latest fruit research projects and how the industry is benefiting from GK&M funding.

Technical talks

10.00 Developing a new precision dosing orchard sprayer – Charles Whitfield, NIAB

10.15 Beespoke – new research into pollinator management – Celine Silva, NIAB

10.30 Enhancing nutrition of tomatoes – Rob James, Thanet Earth

10.40 Using biochar from farm waste to lock carbon into soils –Rob Barker, University of Kent

10.50 Supporting top fruit’s journey to net zero – Rob Saunders, Hutchinsons

11.00 Finding a cure for apple canker –Matevz Papp-Rupar

11.10 Identifying strawberries and raspberries with resistance to SWD – Bethan Shaw, NIAB

11.20 A longer season for British cherries – Richard Colgan, University of Greenwich

11.30 Impact of recent research on management of bacterial canker in cherry – Xiangming Xu, NIAB

Growing Kent & Medway programme talks

11.40 What have we learned from the Growing Green programme? Robert Saville, NIAB

11.50: Business grants from Growing Kent & Medway –Sophie Packer, University of Kent

Chair: Tom Heap

Tom Heap is a broadcaster and writer specialising in the environment, farming and science. He has been a regular presenter on ‘Countryfile’ and BBC Radio’s ‘Costing the Earth’ for more than a decade. He also hosts the ‘Weekly Climate Show’ on Sky News.

Outside of work he likes to go biking, chop wood, grow chillies and watch movies. A small crop of apples, pears, raspberries, blackcurrants and, occasionally, greengages grows in his allotment and garden.

Once again, OnePay are delighted to be collaborating with AG Recruitment by sponsoring the 2022 NFS dinner.

OnePay ensure paying your workers is a simple, swift, secure and engaging experience. Your workers all have their own account number, meaning you pay them the same way you would pay wages into any UK bank account, helping them avoid cheque cashing charges by depositing their HMRC cheques directly onto their card account.

OnePay continue to support your workers, giving them access to many benefits including multilingual call handlers, automated telephone system, phone application and online portal. Their dedicated Client Engagement team are here to assist and support all their clients.

The Vineyard & Winery Show

Two cases of 6 wines – UK award winners as chosen by Matthew Jukes and WineGB from the Vineyard & Winery Show

Graham Hill

River cruise from Windsor marina followed by a night at the races with dinner

FW Mansfield

A case of 6 bottles Chateau Coufran Haut-Medoc 2007

Hutchinsons

A Magnum of Rumbullion! Spiced Rum

FP Matthews

Five premium fruit trees

Pixley Berries

Cordial

Auction Prizes

Silent bids can be placed until 6pm on 2nd November

AG Recruitment

One gallon of sloe gin

OnePay

Hamper from Betty’s of Harrogate

Stoke by Nayland Golf Club

A two night stay, dinner and a round of golf for two

Agrovista Fruit

A Weather Station for 12 months, along with their Growers Choice Interactive service.

This will include installation of the machine and access to the data, local weather forecast and access to a number of important pest and disease models for fruit crops.

This bundle is open to UK growers only.

Better people Best placed

Growers looking for picking teams will be able to take advantage of the expertise on offer from AG Recruitment following the company’s successful opening of new offices in Ukraine.

Recruitment expert Doug Amesz, who runs AG Recruitment with wife and fellow founder Estera, has been racing against the clock after being named as one of four agencies selected by the Home Office to recruit the 30,000 workers allowed into the country this year as part of the seasonal workers pilot scheme.

“We are delighted to have been given the chance to support UK fruit and veg growers in this way and we are excited about helping to deliver on the objectives of the scheme, although it has been a race against time,” Doug said.

Menu

Smoked Seafood Rillettes

Served with rocket salad & Focaccia toast. or

Chargrilled Squash and Apple Salad

Slaw style salad with plant based dressing and served with watercress.

All starters served with local sourdough bread and herb butter

Slow Cooked Beef (braised)

Slow cooked, braised beef with a red wine gravy on a bed of cracked black pepper smashed new potatoes, roasted carrots and crispy leeks with radish shoots. (GF) or

Chargrilled Cauliflower Steak and Cumin

Chargrilled cauliflower seasoned with cumin, and middle eastern flavours. Served with black pepper smashed potatoes, roasted carrots, crispy leeks and radish shoots. (Vegan, GF)

Apple and Pear Tart

Apple and Pear tart made with Oats and served with vanilla cream. (GF and nut free)

Cheese

Claire Seymour and auctioneer Clive Emson

Anita Eagles, Ashley Bernhard and Jack Ward

Boulby mine competition

The prize is an underground trip to Boulby mine, including an evening meal and a sightseeing tour of the historic town of Whitby. Hotel details with ICL corporate rates can be provided. Mine visitors must be 18 or over. Winners are responsible for their own transportation

ICL will organise transportation for the evening meal and sightseeing tour. Visitors must compete an induction and pass health and safety checks before permitted to go underground.

Visits are mid-week,

Tuesdays.

Supporting growers in a changing sector

UKCA has enjoyed many years working alongside our Italian friends Isolcell. Isolcell’s DCA - CF control system is one of the best and most userfriendly systems on the market. With a multitude of cultivars successfully stored, including; Braeburn, Red Prince, Gala, Cox, and Bramley to name just a few. UKCA Ltd pride ourselves on our attention to detail and great customer service giving peace of mind your crop is in good hands.

This year we launched the new UKtroniCA controller. This versatile touchscreen system can be configured to suit almost anything you wish to control or monitor. Whether you have a suite of chillers or a block of CA stores, we have the solution for you. Our aim was to develop a system capable of offering our valued customers with an affordable alternative to the ageing Oxystat and older CA systems still in operation on many farms. Plus, with increasing requests for remote access, using an internet connection Growers and Managers can keep an eye on their valued produce at any time from anywhere.

One of UKCA’s Grower’s using DCA-CF, the Bramley’s pictured were removed from storage after 12 months and arguably look as fresh as the day they were picked.

If you are looking for sizing rings, look no further, talk to a member of our team to make an order. A full range of Quality Assurance instruments available. Our calibration service is just one phone call away, so get in touch now and see how we can help your business grow. ■

Mechanical solutions for long-term food security and sustainability

There has perhaps never been a better time to look at food security and sustainability within the British fruit sector.

Defined by The State of Food Insecurity in the World in 2001, food security “exists when all people, at all times, have the physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that feeds their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.

To ensure we can securely grow enough, nutritious food in the long-term, sustainable farming practices must be adopted.

When it comes to improving yields and percentages of Class 1 fruit; enhancing plant and soil health; and reducing the impact on the environment, we have seen growers embrace various mechanical methods.

Over the last few years, we’ve supplied an increased number of mechanical weeders from manufacturers such as Braun, Clemens and Perfect as both vineyards and orchards look to move away from herbicide treatments.

We continue to receive positive feedback on the results produced by Fruit-Tec’s Darwin mechanical blossom thinner and its RedPulse pneumatic defoliator.

Alongside environmental sustainability, economic and social sustainability are also needed if all people are to have secure access to food.

In July 2022, however, the annual rate of inflation in the UK was the highest it has been since 1982. And, according to the Office for National Statistics, 89% of adults reported an increase in their cost of living.

With this in mind, our approach to food security and sustainability is not just focused on how much we can produce in a way that protects the environment, but also on how we can ensure that quality fruit is affordable for consumers while remaining profitable for growers.

Looking first at reducing the cost of inputs, such as pesticides, we have just wrapped up a three-year research project with Innovate UK, which saw the development of the KWH variable-rate precision dosing orchard sprayer that will allow growers to better target sprays and reduce waste.

of tractors put everything at your fingertips and can even be connected up to the farm office via the FendtONE system, saving time on paperwork such as spray records.

In the packhouse, we have also seen significant investment into the likes of the sophisticated Aweta grading systems and Aporo tray packers, which can reliably pack up to 120 pieces of fruit per minute.

Finally, as long-standing major sponsors of the National Fruit Show, and as a member of the board of trustees, something we are involved with indirectly is the education of the next generation.

We have seen growers embrace various mechanical methods

Looking at labour-saving technology, a hot topic at the National Fruit Show over the last few years, there are plenty of solutions on offer.

In the field, modern machinery is designed to help operators work for longer. The Fendt Gen3 range

The work done by the NFS education team ensures that children understand the importance of adopting healthy eating habits and consuming British-grown fruit and vegetables. It is this education that ultimately drives long-term consumer demand and bolsters the security of our fruit sector.

As always, we are very much looking forward to the show and would love to see you on our stand to discuss all things fruit and machinery related. ■

Claire Seymour

Core, niche, and elite premium varieties

Worldwide Fruit Ltd is an international marketing and distribution company specialising in apples, pears, avocado, stone fruit, and fruit baskets.

The part ownership of Worldwide Fruit Ltd (WFL) consists of the Fruition PO, which has a 50% stake of the business and consists of 34 British growers. The group collectively grow c30% of UK Top Fruit including core, niche, and elite premium varieties such as Jazz™, Kissabel®, Pink Lady™ and Rockit™ which provide a point of difference for our customers and growers.

WFL is also part owned by T&G Global which also has a 50% stake of the business and is one of the most recognised fruit brands in the world. They have invested in select breeding programmes across the world providing WFL access to new and exciting varieties along with providing exclusive rights to some well recognised pipfruit varieties including Jazz™ and Envy™. Jazz™ is currently the fifth largest variety in the UK and was the winner of the 2021 National Fruit Show’s UK’s Tastiest Apple.

Our business source product from 42 different countries and supplies 85 different delivery locations each day. Our Spalding facility has one of the largest and most sophisticated ripening systems in the UK. 100% of our avocado is ripening using the Softripe Technology system. Softripe is a state-of-the-art controlled atmosphere ripening technology and improves product quality and reduces product waste. Our Spalding facility is a zero to landfill site and employs approximately 450 people.

of “Lean” is fully embedded into the DNA of the business.

Our approach to learning has been to ‘grow our own’. We have invested in training and development, using the SA partner belt system which is affiliated to Cardiff University. This ensures we are all aligned and delivering the same objectives. Every day, someone, somewhere in our business is delivering an improvement.

People are at the centre of everything we do, and we are driven by being the “employer of choice” and a supplier who helps shape the quality of life in a positive way throughout our supply chains.

Worldwide Fruit’s “We Care Worldwide” is our commitment to ensure we take a responsible approach to people, climate and the products that we sell.

Our sustainability strategy will focus on the issues that matter the most not just now but also in the future to ensure our impact on the environment is minimal and we enrich the communities where we operate.

Access to new and exciting varieties along with providing exclusive rights to some well recognised pipfruit varieties

Our ambition is to have a positive impact towards protecting the natural resources that are critical in the production of the food that we sell. We will help our growers farm in harmony with nature and by doing so, help preserve the natural landscape for the future generations.

The business is very focused on achieving “Zero Waste”. We have been working with SA partners since 2011, to develop our understanding of Lean practices and processes and how we can continually improve our process and performance. We now have 32 Lean qualified staff working at WFL and the culture

Worldwide Fruit is delighted to be a sponsor of the National Fruit show. We fully support all amazing work being undertaken by Sarah and her team in promoting and developing the UK apple and pear industry through the National Fruit Show. ■

Supporting growers in a changing sector

The fruit sector has witnessed enormous change in the 89 years of the National Fruit Show, the pace of which has been fuelled by recent pressures from rising costs, labour availability, environmental legislation, and increasingly unpredictable weather.

Such challenges can feel daunting, but they can create opportunities too. The specialist horticultural team at Hutchinsons is ideally placed to help growers realise the full potential of their business, across sectors including top and soft fruit, hops, vines, ornamentals and other horticultural crops, plus a dedicated Produce Packaging division.

“There are some particularly big challenges around product registration, and ensuring there are enough tools to cope with what the season brings,”

Hutchinsons director Mike Hutchinson comments. “Another is the increasing burden of fewer permitted residues and lower residue limits, and how we square that with longer growing seasons, increasing pest and disease pressure and tighter quality requirements.”

Innovative solutions

Hutchinsons is tackling these challenges head-on, with expert advice, founded on more than 80 years in the agriculture and horticulture sector, alongside new research and the development of agronomy tools to drive profitability for growers.

The 10-year HELIOS project, for example, is looking to see if orchard yields can be increased by redesigning canopy and tree architecture to capture more sunlight. Designs are “robot ready” with a view to greater mechanisation in future.

Two separate investigations are examining whether elicitors, growth regulators and other materials can be used to enhance scab and canker control in orchards, thereby supporting, or potentially replacing, some traditional fungicide options.

A Precision Orchard Dosing project is combining precision GPS & RTK guidance, LIDAR scanning, drone surveying, digital mapping and variable rate sprayer technology, to variably apply growth regulators and thinners according to the requirements of individual apple trees.

“Some of the work is quite focussed, but we hope the principles can be applied elsewhere. Precise targeting of inputs offers commercial and environmental benefits.”

With digital data increasingly driving decision making, Mr Hutchinson says the Omnia precision farming system plays a central role on farms, providing a “hub” to record, store and analyse a wealth of data, such as TerraMap high-definition soil scans, crop observations, or weather data. Indeed, Omnia’s weather forecasting capability is particularly useful, especially when combined with pest and disease forecasting models to predict threats such as scab, canker or mildew.

including work to build cost of production mapping functionality, similar to that already available for arable farmers. “Without yield monitoring and mapping, it is harder to achieve than for conventional arable crops, but it is something we are working on.”

Omnia precision farming system plays a central role on farms

Further improving the sustainability of packaging is another priority for the fresh produce sector, and Mr Hutchinson says 95% of Hutchinsons packaging sold is recycled or recyclable. Produce Packaging supplies only sustainable plastic products, manufactured with rPET (up to 100% recycled plastic content), moulded fibre (paper pulp from box manufacturing offcuts) and carton board for direct food contact in the fresh produce sector, all of which can be easily recycled at home after use.

“We know food waste can increase without packaging, so it’s vital for protecting and presenting perishable produce. If managed properly, packaging should be sustainable.”

Mr Hutchinson says Omnia’s capabilities for fruit growers are continually being developed,

Discover how Hutchinsons can help your business by visiting stand K21 at the National Fruit Show ■

New products from BASF

R&D manufacturer, BASF, is previewing two new products for the fruit industry, Revysol® and Nemaslug® 2.0, at this year’s National Fruit Show.

Revysol® is renowned in the cereal sector for offering highly effective broad-spectrum control of diseases and is awaiting approval for use in the fruit sector. Nemaslug 2.0 is a highly effective biological control for slugs.

“For decades, BASF has committed investment into research and development of solutions that support the sustainable production of high-quality fruit,” explains BASF speciality market manager, Matt Goodson. “That work is now coming to fruition with the Revysol® and Nemaslug® launches on the horizon. It is a continuation of a strong pipeline of products coming to market.”

“There is increasing pressure for effective pest and disease control in fruit and vegetable crops, but there is also more legislation and higher consumer demands for quality produce with low residues. It is why we have been working hard to develop biological products, alongside our more traditional products, in the speciality sector.”

Nemaslug® 2.0 contains Phasmarhabditis californica nematodes and is highly effective against all common species of slugs. It is easily applied through irrigation

systems or sprayers. Nemaslug® 2.0 offers flexibility. For strawberry growers, for example, Nemaslug® 2.0 eliminates the risk of accidentally picking up pellets during harvest, yet enables applications to table tops, around housing and between beds.

Revysol®, the branded active in BASF’s latest fungicide for fruit, is proving highly effective against a range of fungal diseases in both top and stone fruit, including DMI shifted apple scab, apple powdery mildew, pear rust and pear scab. “By preventing fungal infections and reducing early mycelium development, Revysol® offers preventative and curative activity,” explains Mr Goodson. “Its efficacy is independent of temperature and it has good rainfastness too. Together these properties open application windows for growers.”

The new products come just two years after the launch of Serifel®, a protectant biological fungicide based on Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain MBI600 and for the reduction of Botrytis on most protected fruits including strawberries. “It can be integrated into a programme with Charm® (fluxapyroxad) in strawberries when in addition to controlling botrytis, we have found it also offers useful powdery mildew control,” notes Mr Goodson.

For more information, visit stand K30 where experts from BASF’s team will be on-hand to discuss the new products and existing products in the portfolio. ■

Ready for something different?

Since 2019, OnePay has been a proud sponsor of the National Fruit Show Education Programme. We are again proud to show our continuing support by sponsoring the Education Programme in 2022.

Despite the pandemic in 2020, the leader of the programme Sam, managed to teach lessons in healthy eating virtually while keeping the lessons fun with immersive VR headsets and last year, the Educational Programme was able to visit schools across Kent, educating children about the benefits of healthy eating and sourcing food locally. Sam’s team will be once again hitting the road in their eye-catching van. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support the National Fruit Show Educational Programme as they deliver valuable information to children, promoting a healthy lifestyle encouraging families to support the local farming industry.

OnePay knows that the fruit industry is significant to the UK agricultural sector, and we’re committed to supporting UK growers. It is all the more important in the current climate, where both growers and consumers are facing cost pressures, that the message about our home-grown produce is communicated to the public and we’re pleased to play our small part in that.

OnePay has been working with the UK farming industry since 2007, providing fruit sector businesses and their workers with the benefits of a fast and secure way to pay and receive wages. Workers do not need a UK bank account to receive their wage, they can use their OnePay card wherever Mastercard® is accepted

OnePay and NFS Education Programme are committed to supporting the fruit industry

and access their OnePay account 24/7 via the ‘My OnePay App’ and Portal. OnePay Cardholders also have access to our in-house multi-lingual customer services team that understands OnePay products and services inside out and speak six languages.

At OnePay we are always working to make our services exactly what you need for your business. Therefore, to make worker onboarding with OnePay easier, we introduced the digital portal for our clients last year and we are happy to see that it saves lots of time for business.

To find out more about how OnePay can support your business, call our Sales and Relationship Team today on 0113 320 1466, or visit us at the show at stand S20. We look forward to meeting you.

Are you getting the credit you deserve?

According to HMRC’s Research and Development Tax Credit Statistics: Only £40 million (0.54%) out of an estimated £7.4 billion of R&D Tax Relief was claimed by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sectors for the year ending March 2020.

Despite innovation being commonplace there are certain sectors in which take up remains low and Agriculture is one of these.

It is RIFT R&D’s aim to assist companies in the Agricultural space, to proactively access the valuable revenue stream offered by the R&D Tax Credit scheme.

Who are we and what do we do?

The RIFT Group is a family business, established in Kent in 1999.

We work closely with innovative businesses to assist them in claiming valuable R&D tax relief on their development expenditure.

Are you eligible to claim and what can you claim for?

You must be eligible to pay Corporation Tax. You don’t need to actually be paying it so you could be in losses or pre trade.

You will be spending money on improving a product or service or overcoming challenges. Your project is likely to qualify if you have:

■ Required the experience of qualified experts.

■ Had an element of trial and error.

■ Been unsure whether you would find the right solution.

■ Been aiming for an advance in your sector.

■ Failed to achieve what you set out to accomplish

Complimentary offer for National Fruit Show visitors

in touch to arrange your free consultation.

offer valuable, expert advice and feedback

maximise new or existing claims – and make sure you get the credit you deserve.

Client success story

Biddenden Vineyards – case study:

Biddenden Vineyards developed new techniques and methodologies to protect and nurture their crop from the climate crisis and the multitude of problems it brings upon the vines.

Throughout the project various challenges presented themselves such as, climate, the lack of sunshine hours, the increase in frost and rain which created the perfect environment for diseases. It is imperative to prevent infection to maintain viable vines and stop crop losses. To protect the vines from various diseases and to keep the integrity of the crop, the team sought to investigate and implement innovative solutions to this obstacle.

Tom at Biddenden says: “Rift have been invaluable over the last few years to us a business, Norma insisted a few years ago at the KICC event we hosted we needed to talk, since then we’ve worked for a few years with Sarah and the rest of the RIFT team and have found their guidance invaluable. Sarah and Norma were great to work with and grasped what we were trying to achieve very quickly.”

Partnerships Director Katy O’Neill koneill@riftgroup.com

MD Sarah Collins scollins@riftgroup.com

Teamwork makes the dream work

This year the huge success of the education team has been made possible by teamwork. Teamwork within our own group but also within the industry and across other farming agencies, bringing together knowledge and resources to really tackle the two issues we are so passionate about: Healthy eating and knowledge about careers in our sector.

We have seen more people than ever before, visited more events and reached further afield, marking our come back from Covid-19 with a bang. Indeed, we have actively engaged with over 8,800 people this year, bringing our total engagement past a staggering 26,000 people in total since we first began.

Our team now consists of Myself, Mandy and Irainne. Sadly, this year has been our final year of having Janette with us; she has finally decided to retire- again! We will miss her greatly and have loved having her as part of our team, she has been an invaluable member and a big part of the team’s successes over the years.

As well as our regular team, we have been delighted to have members of the National Fruit Show Committee out helping at events, people from our sponsors and friends from inside the industry, who have come to help with talks and to pass on their knowledge to us and the groups we visit.

Sam Smith, our education programme leader with Jim McDougall of Outfield Technologies

We have had lots of support to create new learning resources from our friends at NIAB EMR, N P Seymour and Outfield, for which we are very grateful. This input gives us authentic material to take into schools and to STEM events and is especially important when we are working with secondary school aged students engaging with them around careers. They need real and meaningful experiences which inspire and make accessible our industry. These resources, along with the continued use of our VR headsets have been wellreceived by adults and young people alike.

While schools have remained a large part of our educational offer, events have been back in full swing this year post Covid-19 lockdown, and we have taken full advantage of this opportunity to talk to people. At this year’s Kent County Show, we had a much larger

offer bringing a strong message of the amazing fruit that the county has to offer. We took along fresh local produce and offered tasting sessions to encourage ‘five a day the Kent way’, showed people how their fruit was grown with the help of VR and had plenty of activities to engage families. This is something we hope to grow even further, adding fruit farming firmly to an event in the heart of the garden of England! Again, we were supported by many of our friends and sponsors, from tractors and trees to apples and drones, without these the event would not have been the success it was.

Once again, we attended the Living Land schools event also at the Kent Showground. It was very well attended and led to over 200 school booking enquiries that we are still working our way through at the moment. We are fully booked now until November and it looks set to be a very busy year.

New for this year we also attended several large Beaver and Scouting events, notably the Kent International Jamboree where our team put on an amazing STEM careers stand engaging with over 1800 young people. Participants tried the VR headsets, tested brix levels with refractometers and took apart tractor parts with tools. This was a fabulous event and offered real hands-on experiences for young people. It too led to lots more bookings for the team!

We have also been further afield with our events visiting the Three Counties Showground, first with Countrytastic aimed at a younger audience and this September with the Malvern Autumn show. These events allow us to meet more people further afield, taking the National Fruit Show out of Kent and delivering a message about supporting local produce into different counties.

The education team spoke with thousands of young people and their families at the Kent Show this year

Sam Smith at the Simon Stock School

Thanks to a grant from The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, we are currently expanding our programme with a new offer ‘The secret world of soft fruit’. A similar message but with a different fruity twist, this programme means we will be covering more of what is grown in Britain and offer a more seasonal and year-round approach. We have been working alongside Leaf Education consultant, Jo Hatton to produce this with the aim that some of the Leaf Ed team nationally will be trained to deliver apple and soft fruit workshops alongside their own offer, increasing our reach nationally and ensuring excellent quality delivery for the programme.

Although our core education team is small, this year we have had an abundance of help and shown we can achieve huge things when we collaborate. It has been wonderful to gain knowledge and experience as well as having access to resources and lots of extra pairs of hands and this must be the way forward for our industry. If we want to make things happen, we must be proactive and work as a team, not just to let people know what we do but to welcome in a new generation of workers.

At this year’s show we will have school students walking around, they are looking for real and meaningful experiences and opportunities to engage with careers in our industry. Please give them a warm welcome: their future could be in your hands!

If you are happy for us to visit your stand with young people, please email us at education@nationalfruitshow.org.uk

If you would like to meet the team to find out exactly what we offer, hear about the events we have taken part in, or you would like us to contact a school or organisation with booking information, please visit us on the education stand at the show. Insert stand number! ■

We can achieve huge things when we collaborate

Helping to educate the next generation

to support the National

for schools.

Long service

There are two people who’ve been at the core of the National Fruit Show for many years: Brian and Norma Tompsett. Although still much involved both have signalled retirement plans so now is a good time to get them to talk about their long service within the industry. Their story highlights much of what has happened in the fruit industry over the many decades they’ve worked amongst us.

The story of how they met is a good place to start. After leaving Hadlow College Brian returned home and took on managing the small fruit enterprise at Rickards Farms, Canterbury, taking over from his father and becoming the third generation of Tompsetts working for the third generation of Rickards. Norma’s family lived nearby the orchards and although she was a full-time office worker, a working holiday picking fruit was an entirely normal pastime with the extra money coming in handy to spend on luxuries. Spotting Norma amongst her gang of girlfriends, Brian made sure he was the man to move her long ladder

By Joanna Wood.

in order to engineer the chance to invite her out on a date and the rest is history. The couple married in 1972 and some family history provides an interesting aside as Brian’s brother married Norma’s sister and Brian’s father and uncle also married sisters.

Being a gifted gardener is not a given for being a successful fruit grower but experimenting in your garden can pay dividends. Brian has always been a very keen gardener providing fresh vegetables and flowers out of season (home-grown Chrysanthemums for Christmas Day are a family tradition!)

Experimenting in your garden can pay dividends

At the start of married life Brian filled the garden with strawberries employing the latest growing techniques. Trickle irrigation and raised beds were at the cutting edge then. This garden enterprise also involved Norma who sold the berries to hotels and restaurants in Canterbury on her way to work. “This helped pay for my first automatic washing machine”, adds Norma. After a couple of years of ‘garden production,’ Brian introduced strawberry growing to Rickards Farms in the 1970’s. And this experience with strawberries would prove to be valuable when he moved to West Kent in 1999.

Norma’s admin career in accounts and training was put on hold when her two daughters Debbie and Jenni were small but she was able to work on the farm acting as supervisor for picking apples, pears and strawberries. In 1990 Norma went back into office work for a Lloyds syndicate in Canterbury; Ibex Motor Policies at Lloyds, where she started in the adjustments department, then moved on to run the classic car scheme and then another change of direction setting up a new training department.

Brian stayed at Rickards until Dick Rickards retired from farming and sold the farm; during that time Brian doubled the top fruit acreage by planting mainly Cox and Conference. He also introduced strawberry growing using raised beds with polythene mulches. Brian and Norma moved from East to West Kent in 1999 to join Alan Firmin Ltd at Linton near Maidstone. Norma worked in the accounts department for the company and Brian started as Top Fruit Manager. Two years later he became overall Fruit Manager responsible for 180 acres of top fruit and 24 acres of strawberries. When the farm secretary retired Norma was offered the position which she accepted, saying “it’s the job I’ve been looking for all my life”. Combining her interest in farming with her skills in accounts and computers she was the ideal assistant for Brian.

Following frequent trips abroad, Brian introduced modern intensive systems of fruit production at

Brian and Norma with the Hilton Medal

Firmins and gradually converted all the strawberry production to table tops. Brian always welcomed students onto the farm to give ‘practical’ backup to their ‘college’ studies. Frequent visitors came from Hadlow College and Shropshire College. With Firmin’s withdrawal from top fruit in 2009, Nigel Bardsley took on the Firmin farm at Bluehouse in Marden and Brian made the short journey to Staplehurst to become Farm Manager at Bardsley & Sons. He continued the development of ‘fruit wall’ productionhis experience with Braeburn, Egremont Russet and Cameo developed a much better understanding of the influence of varietal characteristics when managed as a ‘mechanically pruned’ fruit wall.

In ‘semi-retirement’ Brian has stayed active. Even last winter he “pruned a couple of orchards” and his tree management skills are called upon regularly by Hadlow College, either demonstrating pruning techniques to students, or keeping an eye on the Huxley and BIFGA training orchards. For the last five years he’s been working with Landseer applying SmartFresh treatment to apple stores and maturity testing for local growers. “It gets me out to see growers” adds Brian.

The annual Huxley Pruning Day at Hadlow College has always involved Brian. His practical understanding of many different varieties and pruning systems is integral to the teaching experience available to Hadlow students each year.

A winning team

hog roast baps there was a surprise announcement from Vice Chairman Paul Hamlyn, a personal friend of the couple. He announced that this year’s David Hilton medal was going to two people. “What a shock that was”, says Norma, “Brian’s the farmer and I’m in the background”.

National Fruit Show stalwarts

In 2009 Norma left Firmins to take on two part time jobs; one was the competition secretary for the National Fruit Show and the other was administration assistant at Mid Kent Growers where she processed payments to grower members. Norma is central to the NFS Apple Juice Competition and more recently the Cider Competition organising the samples and the tasting panel to make judgement on the day. Brian and Norma also play a key role in the ‘Tastiest Apple’ competition held annually at the Show. Norma, now Competition Manager, keeps track of everything with calm efficiency before and during the show.

Brian’s long involvement with the National Fruit Show competition began in 1984

Brian’s long involvement with the National Fruit Show competition began in 1984 with a complaint letter from ‘rooky new competitor’ Brian to the judges and resulted in him being invited to join the committee. As competitors Brian and Norma have won the Bonanza Prize three times and are proud of all their wins especially the year when they won six first prizes for their fruit. And this was in the days of wooden trays and paper liners when packaging presentation also came under scrutiny for points.

However, other prizes have meant even more to them. In 2004 Brian was awarded ‘Runner Up’ in the Soft Fruit Grower of the Year and in 2009 won the Top Fruit Grower of the Year and then went on to win ‘Edible Grower’ of the Year at the Horticulture Week sponsored awards. The ‘Oscars for horticulture’ are how Brian describes it. In 2008 as a supplier to Tesco, Brian was awarded Tesco ‘Fruit Category’ Grower of the Year out of all their ‘Global’ fruit suppliers another highly prestigious achievement.

A recent award took them both completely by surprise when at an East Kent Fruit Society farm walk in 2021, Brian and Norma were awarded a David Hilton Medal. At the end of the tour while everyone was eating their

Brian has been Chairman of the Judges for many years and makes sure all runs smoothly. The top fruit classes are judged on the day before the show opens and teams of judges look at a sample of randomly selected fruit from the exhibition trays. Judges take off marks for often very small infringements as the standard is so high. They are also to thank for convincing show society Executive Chair Sarah Calcutt that she ought to be chair, she had been another recruit to the committee after challenging the then chair Jeremy Scott. Recognising a kindred spirit in a shared love of the industry, they have continued to provide invaluable support to Sarah over the subsequent 13 years.

Looking ahead

Brian has given some thought about where the industry is going: “When I first started working in the fruit industry, I was taken on by Jim Mount, one of the leading fruit growers of the time. I was taught so much by his manager Jim Kennedy. And at the time there was a full time Fruit Management course at Hadlow College, which was invaluable. Sadly, this is no longer an option but working for some of the leading growers is an option, where their attention to detail can be compared with some of the leading growers in Europe. What is encouraging is that leading companies in the industry are sponsoring the education programme run by the National Fruit Show, and hopefully this will encourage some of the younger generation to take up working in our industry in the future.”

In April this year Brian and Norma celebrated 50 years of marriage so what’s their secret? Norma admits “We have our moments” but they both agree “we are a team”. ■

With great sadness...

ALAN FRANCIS TODD MBE

16th June 1930 –

The top fruit industry lost a highly respected and very prestigious member when Alan Francis Todd MBE died in late October 2021. Starting as a modest fruit grower when he arrived at Jarmons Farm in Collier Street he developed a passion for raising rootstocks.

Alan began growing Cox and other traditional varieties, but raising rootstocks became the most important part of his business producing circa 300,000 rootstocks annually.

As a commercial fruit grower and nurseryman, he was one of the initial participants in the Ministry of Agriculture Special Stock Schemes for Tree Fruits, and a founder member of the Nuclear Stock Association for Tree Fruits.

This interest in rootstocks bred at East Malling led to him becoming Chairman of East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research.

Alan had a very close affiliation with East Malling and served as a Governor of the Kent Incorporated Society for Promoting Experiments in Horticulture at East Malling from 1966 as an elected representative of the National Farmers Union. From 1979 - 1987 he was Chairman of the Governing Body and represented the views of the fruit and nursery sectors to Ministers, official bodies and Members of Parliament. Subsequently he became Governor of the British Society for Horticultural Research, the governing body of the Institute of Horticultural Research until 1990.

Alan was appointed a Trustee of the Development and Endowment Fund for East Malling in 1989 and later succeeded Sir James Mount as Chairman of the East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research.

He was a member of East Malling Research Association Committee for many years and did much to promote close links between research and the fruit industry through his membership of Marden Fruit Show Society as a committee member and Chairman of MFSS. In his tenure as Chairman, he was responsible for the establishment of the National Fruit Show in its present format at Detling.

Alan received the Norah Strucken Award for achievement in horticulture in 1987 and was a founder member and Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture.

Alan received his MBE for services to horticulture in 1989.

As his stature in the fruit industry rose, Alan was invited to join The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers and on 27th January 1992 he was elected Master of the Worshipful Company.

At that time Alan was Chairman of The East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research and Senior Vice Chairman of The Marden Fruit Show Society.

One of the ceremonial roles of the Master is planting trees celebrating a special occasion. Early in Alan's tenure as Master he planted apple trees at Chartwell, Winston Churchills home at Westerham in Kent.

The trees were carefully chosen. Blenheim Orange, Winston and American Beauty reflecting connections to Winston Churchill. Accompanied by Churchill's Grandson Winston and on a cold wet day in March the planting ceremony was completed.

At The Worshipful Company's

Annual Banquet at the Mansion House on 14th February 2002 'Past Master' Alan Todd MBE received the Company's most prestigious medal, the Ridley Medal from the Master in the presence of The Rt Hon Lord Mayor.

Alan leaves behind his wife Sally and three daughters, Fiona, Sandra and Nicola.

“His daughters remember, their Dad placing no restrictions on their time on the farm, growing up with freedoms other children were not so lucky to enjoy.

“They remember him as firm but fair, with very high standards and we were secure in the knowledge you were totally devoted to us”. ■

With great sadness...

HARRY WOOLDRIDGE

The fruit industry lost a much-loved character when Harry Wooldridge died in mid-September after a short illness.

Harry farmed at Beech Farm West Peckham for many years growing apples and strawberries and played a major role in the development of Gala apples along with his great friend Roger Worraker.

Roger knew Harry’s father and when he (Harry) returned from working in Tasmania. Their working relationship, ‘Harry as a grower’ and ‘Roger as an advisor’ developed into a friendship and both have been a major force behind the establishment of Gala as the UK’s number one apple!

Harry studied at Writtle College and once back in the UK became interested in the ‘politics’ of growing and marketing; while many remember Harry as the man with English Gala ‘running through him like a stick of rock’ Harry spent many hours over a long period of time on behalf of the top fruit industry as Chairman of the NFU Fruit Committee and was a founding board member of APDC (Apple & Pear Development Council) back in the late 1970’s along with David Hilton, Ian Adamson and Simon Brice. Together they worked hard to improve the marketing structure of ‘home grown’ apples.

UK Gala has come a long way since the early 1990’s when a few growers and advisors embraced the variety and had the vision to encourage Growers, Marketeers and Supermarkets that UK Gala could be, and indeed would be, a superior apple to imported Gala. Now nearly 30 years later UK Gala is the number one UK variety by sales volume and along with imported Gala represents one in every four apples consumed in the UK!

In 2013 Harry Wooldridge, led the celebrations of the 21st anniversary of the Gala Club, Harry was Gala Club Chairman for many years and one of those early visionaries.

The 2014 Gala Club meeting marked the last of Harry Wooldridge’s tenure as Chairman. Harry has been the driving force behind Gala’s rise to the top of the English apple tree. His ability to cajole the captains of our apple industry into committing support for Gala promotion, cannot be underestimated and we should all be grateful for his jovial enthusiasm.

In 2015 Harry was honoured by East Kent Fruit Society.

In addition to the AGM and presentation of prizes for the EKFS Orchard Competition, the presentation of the prestigious David Hilton Memorial Medal to Harry Wooldridge, this year’s ‘chosen one’ for outstanding contribution to the fruit industry.

Harry Wooldridge will leave fond memories of his infectious enthusiasm, his long service to the fruit industry and for being “a thoroughly nice man”. ■

AVAILABLE ONLINE, IN PRINT AND ON OUR APP

The website

Keep your finger on the pulse. We bring you the latest news, views and interviews from across the fresh produce industry. A great combination of high-quality written, video and audio content that we also compile in a daily email newsletter.

The magazine

The FPJ magazine is posted to you 10 times a year and distributed at the leading industry events. Enjoy eight special issues, each with a different theme, plus The FPJ Big 50 Companies and The FPJ Big 50 Products – the most anticipated fresh produce publications in the calendar.

Festival of Fresh

The app

Our FPJ app is built by the same developers as The Economist. It delivers the pick of our daily news, analysis, opinion and multimedia direct to your smartphone. And it gives you direct access to digital versions of our latest print issues.

FPJ’s annual celebration of the best of fresh produce in Britain. Expect fantastic networking opportunities, inspirational speakers, demos and tours, fruit and veg sampling, and delicious food and drink.

British Apples & Pears puts #ValueAtTheCore

Top fruit growers, like many, are facing unprecedented challenges. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting consumers and growers alike. In response, British Apples & Pears Limited continues to support its hard-working members, while also driving increased consumer purchase of the wonderful top fruit Britain grows.

Driving consumer demand

This year, our consistent ‘apple a day’, health and snacking content has been supplemented by a very important ‘Value At The Core’ message. With research showing that apples are the most affordable British fruit on supermarket shelves, targeted press and social media work is ensuring that consumers continue to put apples in their baskets.

Our #ValueAtTheCore message also enables us to highlight the great storability which reduces food waste, the low food miles of British apples and pears compared to imported fruit and the significant health benefits.

and development efforts continue to deliver what our growers need. To that end, in July we announced a new collaboration with British Berry Growers and the Cucumber and Tomato Growers Associations to save crop research and development for all our growers and members.

We are determined to ensure that research and development will continue through a voluntary levy system and to collaborate as far as we can in order to drive value for money and to share resource to avoid duplicating costs.

Our #ValueAtTheCore message also enables us to highlight the great storability which reduces food waste

In trade and national media, we are being quoted regularly on the crucial industry topics of labour and cost inflation. We have also been liaising with the government, DEFRA and our fellow fresh produce trade bodies to ensure that our combined voice is being heard. We know these issues are fundamental to our industry’s future and that’s why we’re working so hard to support our members interests.

Set for the future

These messages are resonating well with journalists and consumers. So far in 2022, we have achieved a circulation reach of 682 million. That’s more than double this time last year. Furthermore, our social media activity has achieved more than 2.7 million impressions.

We’re now gearing up for our biggest ever start of season promotional push. This year our media blast starts from 26th September as British apples feature on supermarket shelves a little earlier than usual. Look out for a special heart health focus, support from our ambassador Raymond Blanc, who will once again be strongly encouraging consumers to buy British, and our #ValueAtTheCore message across press and social channels.

Speaking up for our industry

On the trade side, in July we commissioned an updated cost of production impact report from John Pelham at Anderson Consulting. The report’s key finding was that cost inflation would increase the cost of production for a 750-gram pack of Gala apples by 10.2 pence. This insight has been shared with all commercial teams, our members and retailers.

We are also working hard to ensure that research

All our work supports the ambition we set several years ago – to achieve 60% market share for British apples by 2030. Despite the challenges in the short-term, it’s an ambition we are determined to meet. ■

An exciting new beginning

NIAB’s Scott Raffle and Mark Else explain how a model plum crop is being shaped by growers.

The Plum Demonstration Centre (PDC) at East Malling has been evolving since the first tree was planted in 2016. Set up to showcase best practice in plum production, the Centre was funded by the AHDB between 2019 and 2022, but with the demise of the horticultural levy body, a new funding mechanism had to be found.

Early this year, the scientists at East Malling convened a meeting with plum growers and marketing groups, who collectively offered to fund the day to day management of the Centre, whilst NIAB seek additional research funding on topics of most interest to the plum industry.

‘Hands-on’ approach to the management of the Centre

and Narrow A frame systems on VVA1 and Wavit rootstocks have produced the highest yields, although firm conclusions can’t be drawn on the optimum combinations until more data is collected. Other work has included a comparison of yield and quality from tunnel covered areas of plums with uncovered, demonstration of mechanical weed control, and the implementation of results from AHDB and other funded tree fruit research projects.

Until this year, focus has centred on a comparison of rootstocks and rootstock/training system combinations. To date, the Oblique, Super spindle

The new funding consortium consists of eleven plum growing businesses and three marketing groups, who have taken a ‘hands-on’ approach to the management of the Centre, providing help and support with some of the husbandry tasks undertaken there. They are particularly interested to improve their knowledge and understanding of precision irrigation and

Researching exact water needs of commercial plums

fertigation in plums and optimise nitrogen inputs, topics which are becoming increasingly important as the availability of water becomes ever more scarce and the cost of fertiliser products continues to increase.

Scientists at East Malling this year installed soil matric potential sensors at 15cm, 30cm and 45cm depth and a volumetric moisture content sensor at 45cm under representative trees. Irrigation (and fertigation) was initially triggered at an average soil matric potential value of -60 KPa across the rooting zone. This irrigation threshold was then lowered throughout the season to a value of -100 KPa. Prior to harvest, some trees were allowed to dry down to below -400 kPa and were then returned to field capacity to try to simulate the effects of a heavy rain event on fruit splitting before harvest. This work will help us to better understand the demand for water by plums at different stages during crop development and to identify the optimum soil moisture deficit at which to irrigate – work that has already been done at East Malling on other tree fruit crops.

The science team managing the Centre has also been comparing water availability in trees managed with mown grass alleys versus those with freely growing wild flower strips. We have been trying to understand if wild flower strips, which are used to benefit the natural control of insect pests, have any adverse effects on resource acquisition, tree growth, and fruit yield and quality.

2022 has not only brought a new approach to the management of the PDC, it has also seen the release and naming of ‘Malling™ Elizabeth’, a new variety offering growers with a high quality Victoria-like plum which produces attractive large, firm red/purple fruits, with excellent flavour and perhaps most importantly, a very early season, cropping before Opal and some 6-7 weeks earlier than Victoria. ■

Launch of Malling Elizabeth

Oblique spindle training

New Growing Kent & Medway grants support collaborative fruit industry research

NIAB’s Scott Raffle highlight some exciting new research projects that will benefit the fruit growing community.

Kent-based fruit businesses will benefit from a series of new research projects that have been awarded by Growing Kent & Medway, through UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund. Five of the six projects awarded funding are relevant to fruit growers and all six will support business’ transition to net-zero, and deliver improved productivity and sustainability in food and drink production.

Starting in the early summer of 2022, the projects will run for up to 36 months and each is a collaboration between an industry partner that has recognised the need for research to solve a problem and a research partner with a long track record in that subject. The projects will not only help the fruit industry reduce its impact on climate change, helping to reduce carbon emissions, cut food waste or improve the efficiency

The cherry industry is keen to find ways of improving long term storage

of resources such as water and energy, but also enable our crops to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The projects will also benefit from the new cuttingedge research facilities at East Malling, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, which were all partfunded by Growing Kent & Medway.

Of greatest interest to tree fruit growers are projects aimed at finding a solution to apple canker and extending the storage season of cherries. The apple canker research being led by Avalon Fresh and delivered by NIAB at East Malling, will investigate novel approaches to managing and controlling Neonectria ditissima, the cause of the disease. The aim is to find ways of reducing and eradicating the rapid loss of trees and subsequent fruit yield that are all too common in the industry, particularly in West Kent, where the problem is so serious.

The cherry research is led by Norton Folgate and delivered by scientists at the Produce Quality Centre (University of Greenwich). Their aim is to extend the storage life of home grown cherries, to reduce fruit waste and reliance on foreign imports. Just as scientists have developed ways of determining the best quality of fruit for long-term storage of apples, so this project is seeking to grow the strongest cherries and select those at the optimum point of harvest to

achieve a longer storage potential. The project will also investigate different gas regimes to optimise controlled atmosphere techniques.

Of benefit to soft fruit growers is a project on spotted wing drosophila (SWD) being led by Asplins Producer Organisation in collaboration with NIAB at East Malling, where scientists are seeking to identify forms or resistance to SWD in strawberry and raspberry. Any resistance identified could be used in future breeding programmes as a mechanism to reduce damage caused by the pest, which currently incurs significant costs for growers both in crop management techniques and conventional control methods.

Re-generation Earth and University of Kent will work on another project examining the use of biochar (produced from hedge clippings and tree prunings) in field soils, and its subsequent impact on soil fertility and the level of carbon locked into soils.

Studies have shown that even modest increases in vitamin C content and iron levels can help tomato crops cope better with heat stress. In a further project led by Thanet Earth, NIAB scientists at East Malling aim to develop nutrient-dense tomatoes and enhance iron bioavailability for healthy diets, whilst at the same time improving the productivity and sustainability of UK tomato production and lowering emissions and reducing waste. ■

Branch dieback caused by Neonectria ditissima

The projects will also benefit from the new cutting-edge research facilities

New research talent emerging from the CTP fruit crop research programme

NIAB’s Scott Raffle explains how a new generation of talented fruit researchers is emerging from the Collaborative Training Partnership for Fruit Crop Research programme.

Where were you on 18th and 19th July when the UK experienced record high temperatures of 40°C and above? That may be a question posed around the drinks tables in pubs and clubs in the coming months and years. In my case, I had a great stroke of luck in that I was booked to attend a two-day conference of the Collaborative Training Partnership for Fruit Crop Research Studentship programme, which happened to take place in the very well ventilated and cool conference centre at East Malling. The delegates and students attending were not only treated to a ‘cool’ environment, but we were reinvigorated by the talent and enthusiasm displayed by our student presenters.

The Collaborative Training Partnership for Fruit Crop Research (CTPfFCR) was instigated by lead partner Berry Gardens Growers Ltd in collaboration with NIAB at East Malling, to help to develop a new generation of fruit crop researchers, to fill the ever-expanding void of young talent coming into the horticulture industry at large. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) along with industry partners AHDB, Berry Gardens Growers, Marks and Spencer, Mid Kent Growers, National Association of Cider Makers, Worldwide Fruit Ltd and The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, the programme aims to deliver a high-quality training programme for students, delivering independent, highly employable scientists in strategically important research and development areas.

The first cohort of students kicked off the programme in 2017 and consecutive intakes continued annually each autumn until 2021, so that 40 researchers will have been trained when the final project is completed in 2025. The majority of students are working with NIAB at East Malling, with others based at the Universities of Cranfield, Essex, Harper Adams, Lincoln, Nottingham and Reading. Each one

Lauren Farwell investigating the biology and control of Cladosporium mould on raspberry

is researching a topic of interest selected by the industry partners and within their four-year training period, the students also have the opportunity to experience the sector first hand by spending time with the CTPs industry partners in their businesses in order to widen their knowledge of the industry.

Many of the CTPs research topics are complementing research that is already in progress and the results will be adopted by existing NIAB researchers at East Malling and elsewhere.

Examples include Thomas Heaven’s work to understand why some populations of Venturia inaequalis (the fungus causing apple scab) have developed resistance to commonly used fungicides, and Matteo Luberti’s research, which has identified genetic markers that confer resistance to Phytophthora cactorum (crown rot in apple), which are now available to the apple breeding programme at East Malling. Chris Cook has been studying beneficial soil inhabiting organisms, some of which are antagonistic to the fungal organisms causing apple replant disease, while Hamish McLean is investigating potential biological control methods for apple canker.

In soft fruit, Samantha Lynn has been identifying genetic markers that confer resistance to strawberry

powdery mildew, results which will be employed by the East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club, and several students are studying the physiology of strawberry plants to learn how we can optimise growing conditions to maximise fruit yields, quality, berry size and also develop year-round production. This information is being utilised by NIAB’s WET Centre at East Malling, to develop and demonstrate the model strawberry crop.

The success of the CTP programme is not just measured by the output of results, but also by the employment secured by the students at the end of their studies. Two students, from the first intake in 2017, are already working in fruit research roles spanning academia and industry.

Carlota Gonzalez Noguer is now a Quantitative Crop Physiologist with NIAB at East Malling and Raymond Kirk is the Chief Technology Officer of a start-up business, FruitCast, who plan to be offering a crop forecasting service to strawberry growers in the next few years. The next generation of fruit research scientists has already landed!

Berry Gardens Growers and NIAB at East Malling are extremely grateful to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for providing grant funding for the CTPfFCR programme. ■

Samantha Lynn presenting her strawberry powdery mildew research to the East Kent Fruit Society

Many of the CTPs research topics are complementing research that is already in progress

Applied research is essential to informed agronomy

Don Pendergrast, Agrii technical manager for non-combinable crops, explains why its research focus distinguishes it from other advisers.

The capacity to properly evaluate new products or techniques that promise better crop production is the basis for Agrii’s relationship with growers. It is this capability, enabled by the applied research performed at the Agrii iFarm at East Malling, that exemplifies our commitment to helping growers meet the challenges of the future.

The Agrii fruit iFarm came into existence more than a decade ago. The fruit team understood that without applied research growers would struggle to meet the changing needs of the market or the adapt to the withdrawal of products once relied on to protect yields and quality.

The fruit iFarm has since evolved. We have added new crops – vines were planted in 2021 – while the emergence of new production threats means we are constantly reappraising how crops are managed. We also need to consider how new means of protection can be incorporated into programmes. Biological insecticides and fungicides hold great promise but getting the best from what they offer is far more complex than was the case with the synthetic products they replace. Though still in their infancy, data driven management systems offer a similar opportunity. The fruit iFarm means we have

the capacity to investigate these considerations and prospects often several seasons ahead of their commercial introduction.

During the 2022 season for example, the orchards at the iFarm have been given over to evaluating the potential of a new fungicide for apple scab and where it might sit best in a programme alongside biofungicides. We have also investigated what partners it can be tank-mixed with to support an efficient operation. Alongside this, we trialled several products never used in apple orchards for scab control to bolster options. The initial results show promise. If repeated, these can be used to support an application for off-label authorisation. Other trials considered strategies for the control of woolly aphid, methods to reduce the incidence of storage rots and the potential of a new bio-insecticide for the control of codling moth.

It is this approach to advancing our understanding through year-on-year research that supports the advice and insights we deliver to growers. This is essential to meeting the needs of the future where we have to combine new approaches to crop protection with the need to make greater use of decision support systems that enable the targeted use of resources based on an informed assessment of the threats. ■

Don Pendergrast

The UK’s leading research and development led agronomy services.

The Agrii fruit team is a group of dedicated top fruit, soft fruit and vine agronomists backed up by specialists in ancillary products, fertilisers and decision support services.

The team is supported by an extensive practical trials department utilising our own fruit iFarm research and demonstration site at East Malling. Alongside this, we have a broad network of grower-based trials which allow us to focus on aspects such as weather stations, active disease and pest forecasting as well as advanced soil, tissue and fruit analysis.

Agrii Exhibitor Stand Location:

For more information, please contact your usual Agrii agronomist, our Customer Services Team on 0845 607 3322 or email info@agrii.co.uk

Committed to work towards Net-Zero

JD Cooling Group is the UK’s leading independent supplier of bespoke temperature control systems, working with many industry specialist’s and customers across many sectors sector. We provide design and installation of state-of-the-art cooling systems, as well as tailored service and maintenance contracts throughout the UK.

Established in 2000, the company has grown organically – through local employment, word of mouth referrals, repeat business and reputation and now employs over 120 people. We are one of the top 1,000 inspirational and forward-thinking companies in the UK, putting people at the heart of the business.

JD Cooling Group are committed to work towards Net-Zero and reducing our carbon footprint within the next two years, alongside our wider long term group strategies Net-Zero refers to the target of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute towards global warming to zero by balancing the amount released into the atmosphere. Getting to Net-Zero will require significant changes across all sectors of the economy and one of the major changes in the fresh produce sector will no doubt involve large-scale investment and innovation which will be needed to provide technologically-viable and economically-competitive alternatives to fossilfuel-intensive technologies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

With our ability to offer turnkey cooling and heating solutions to the many fresh produce sectors, combined with our in-house design capability, and allowing us to deliver environmentally responsible solutions using sustainable technologies, we are here to support.

Whether you are looking for future proof, fluid-based cooling and heating systems, heat pumps, heat recovery or fully integrated energy solutions using innovative technologies with greener refrigerants, all to reduce your operating costs whilst lowering your carbon footprint, Team JD are on hand to discuss your requirements and demonstrate how we can take your business to the next step in an efficient and sustainable future.

With a rising population set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, growers and producers are increasingly looking for ways to adapt and cope with increased demand, without contributing more carbon emissions.

The JD Cooling Group have extensive knowledge to support changes to your storage or processing requirements, whether the project is new or existing plant upgrades, from Controlled Atmosphere storage (CA), specialist ripening facilities, new packing house facilities or storage complexes, through to automation and Vertical Farming, where controlled environments provide sustainable solutions, whilst providing sustainability and emission reduction.

Come and see us at Stand K4 ■

GROUP IS THE UK’S LEADING INDEPENDENT SUPPLIER OF BESPOKE TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEMS

Working with many industry specialists and customers within the fresh produce sector, we provide the design and installation of state-ofthe-art cooling systems, as well as tailored service and maintenance contracts throughout the UK.

As a group we are working towards Net-Zero and reducing our carbon footprint. Net-Zero refers to the target of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute towards global warming to zero by balancing the amount released into the atmosphere. Trying to achieve Net-Zero when operating in a service industry is a significant challenge, with the majority of our internal carbon creation being through an extensive team of on the road engineering personnel. As such, we are focussing both on reducing our direct impact, but also identifying and recording where we are helping reduce our customers, and indeed the global carbon footprint.

One example of how we assist with the global carbon footprint is minimising food waste. Food waste occurs at different stages of the supply chain, in field, in transit, in process / packing, in store and in the home. In early 2019, we partnered with a well-known international fruit marketing and distribution company to develop the Softripe system further in the UK. Softripe is a novel technology for the ripening of fruits, which allows a significant improvement of the respective fruit quality compared to conventional processes.

With a faster and more controlled ripening process, an energy reduction of 30% can be achieved. Just one Softripe chamber operating for one year, is anticipated to conservatively save in excess of 162 tonnes of fruit from the process stage of the supply chain; additional reductions in store and in home also come from the extended shelf life and improved product quality.

As the world population continues to rise towards a predicted 9.7 billion by 2050 it is essential that we maximise the yield of fresh produce. Achieving Net-Zero will require significant changes across all sectors of the economy and whilst there are many barriers to this, in addition to food waste reduction, there are countless improvements that can be made from ensuring that green technologies are being used, adopting renewable energy sources or minimising energy consumption of existing systems each of which will have a positive impact on the environment.

With our ability to offer turnkey solutions to the many fresh produce sectors, combined with our in-house design capability, we can help reduce carbon footprints through employing greener cooling and heating solutions (heat recovery, heat pumps, combined energy schemes and so on), optimising plant operation, maximising yield, and in turn minimising energy costs. The JD Cooling Team are always here to support your needs.

COME AND SEE US AT STAND K4

MFSS AGM and Technical Conference

Held in person this April at NIAB EMR the MFSS AGM was ably jointly chaired by society President Teresa Wickham who was present and Chairman Sarah Calcutt who joined via Zoom from Dubai where she had been on Agri-EPI Centre business but unexpectedly delayed due to Covid-19.

A review of last year’s successful show and fulsome praise for our sponsors was followed by an introduction to plans for the future. There will be a move towards a 50/50 focus on soft and top fruit in the coming years. The show will encourage more practical demonstrations, feature processing equipment and focus on all diverse routes to market. It will have stronger political presence and there will be more on technology/ automation. On day two, students and schools will be encouraged to

attend with a focus on careers. An initiative to encourage membership will include a discussion group, technical visits and special membership benefits eg., VIP parking at the show, discounts on dinner tickets and exclusive visits.

In his financial report, Honorary Treasurer Chris Morris praised the hard work done in previous years to build up reserves, and the hard work of the team to keep costs down. The Society has no borrowings and still has healthy reserve funds with the education funds virtually intact. As Chris emphasised, the service to the industry was maintained even in the pandemic year. An update on the NFS Education Programme included the welcome news that after the curtailment of much of the activities due to the pandemic, things were getting back to normal.

After presentation of the results of the Long-term Storage Competition results, the Technical conference programme concentrated on labour and automation issues. The second James Nichols lecture was delivered by Professor Simon Pearson, Director of the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology entitled ‘The future of automation in UK fruit growing’.

Simon confirmed that our problems with recruiting enough workers in horticulture and agriculture is a worldwide problem, “everyone is struggling, everyone is in a pickle”. The solutions via progress to artificial intelligence (AI) are not immediate and will take time. Policy support is what’s needed, there’s a worrying funding gap worldwide. Surprisingly, even in California the promising tech start-up Abundant Robotics that

Jim McDougall (left) and Oli Hilbourne (right), founders of Outfield

appeared to be leading the race to commercialise a robotic apple picker, ran out of money last year (also partly because they didn’t listen to growers). Simon as an engineer pointed out that many solutions in the pipeline are too complicated to work in the field. Under glasshouse conditions and on rails is much easier. Development of picking platforms is moving forward but there is nothing yet both fast enough and practical enough to replace human fruit pickers.

Tech is not the panacea answer but what is vital is to have lots of skilled people working on farms to develop robotics. We need a pipeline of talent but this takes time. Collaboration across the field was vital and internationally – “we all need to pull in the same direction and not compete. The UK is leading but not ahead”, was Simon’s conclusion.

Amongst other speakers Oli Hilbourne, who with Jim McDougal founded Outfield Technologies, looked at where automation is taking us. Oli covered the subject of drone technology and considered the tricky subject of the ethical use of data. The company is driven by data and offer digital fruit farming where remote sensing delivered by drones feeds into platforms to flag interventions and offers connectivity to share data with for instance agronomists, PO’s and marketing desks. Over the years this data becomes ever more useful to build a picture and compare seasons.

As more data is recorded and its value and power become evident, we must consider: Who owns the data? What is the balance of power? How do you protect yourself? What data can be shared and where? What can be done with the data? Who is responsible for

data ethics? In the discussion Oli emphasised that growers should demand that systems all talk to each other. In Australia they have already established a farm data code with principles for ethical data. ■

Prof Simon Pearson who gave the James Nicholls lecture

Incredible wealth of health and dermatological benefits

Kelsey Farms lies in the south east of Kent, in Wickhambreaux, just outside Canterbury. Throughout the Kelsey family’s long association with the area, they’ve produced a variety of fruit – beginning with apples and pears, cherries, plums and blackberries, moving into strawberries but it was Paul who really started to push the idea of raspberry production, which began around 2008. Today, with son George now making it fifth generation, they supply leading supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsbury and Tesco.

A lot of raspberries might mean a lot of business, but it also has huge potential for waste. Says Paul, “It’s always been this way –those fruits of the wrong colour, shape or size get rejected; rather than throwing this fruit away we send it off to be turned into puree. The byproduct of this is obviously seed waste. I then came across the incredible wealth of health and dermatological benefits of raspberry seed oil and, excited by the prospect of further extending our sustainability efforts, began working with chemists on the other properties of the whole plant, from leaf to puree to seed”.

The result was the creation of KELSEY, a new skincare brand rooted in nature, science and sustainability. “We were born out of a desire to use every element of the raspberry plant by upcycling what we could. Our mission is to create clinically proven and effective luxury formulations that help support the skin’s natural functions. We will continue to champion the humble raspberry plant to explore and harness its amazing skincare properties”.

To create the KELSEY unisex skincare range, Paul uses as much of the plant as possible from the seeds to the fruit and even the leaves. Explains Paul, “The press required to extract the oil from the waste is an expensive, specialist piece of kit, so at this stage it made sense to use one that’s already up and running, rather than investing in one ourselves.”

And it’s a laborious process, with a lot of pulp required: “Ten percent of the weight of a raspberry is seed, and once all that seed is dried and pressed, only seven percent of that is oil.” Once the oil is extracted from the raspberry seeds, the precious oil is sent to Italy, where it’s put through

another hi-tech process that activates and breaks down the fatty acid molecules, thus changing its structure to ensure it’s more easily absorbed by the skin thus increasing its efficacy. The process also boosts the effectiveness of the other actives in the formulation by maximizing their absorption into the skin. “We are the only people in the world to be doing this with raspberry seed oil.”

From there, the oil is returned to the UK, where it’s then added, along with extracts made from the fruit puree and raspberry leaves, into the different formulations which include several other naturally derived but sciencedriven raw materials that shield skin from blue light and pollution, boost collagen production, plump, energise and repair. “We do not add any nasties into our formulations, and only use the kindest and most effective ingredients”.

“Reducing emissions through simplifying our supply chain is also important to us so we aim to source both our ingredients and packaging as locally as we possibly can. Plus, we

manufacture our products in England. All our cardboard comes from an FSC certified supplier and is world land trust certified to be carbon neutral. We also opted for recyclable glass bottles with recyclable nitrile bulbs for our pipettes as an alternative to the more commonly used PVC which has a negative environmental profile. Sustainability really is at the heart of everything we’re trying to do.”

KELSEY launched earlier this year with three hero concentrates, each with its own purpose, tackling the three best recognised skin concerns – dullness, damage and fine lines. “We are constantly evaluating our current product line up, listening to consumer feedback and demands, which has led us to create five more exciting products all set to launch over the coming months”.

It’s been a roller-coaster ride of over two years for Paul from initial

concept to seeing the KELSEY range for sale on their own online store in February this year. “It’s been completely different from anything I’ve done before, “ he says, “And the knowledge I’ve acquired along the way regarding ingredients, what they do and why has meant a steep learning curve. It has been co-developed with leading skincare chemists with unparalleled knowledge of luxury efficacious skincare, and, we believe, is the first of its kind. It’s an exciting time,” says Paul, “We’re currently under negotiations with a high-end bricks-and-mortar retailer, have listings with two online beauty retailers, social media influencers are reviewing us favourably and our sales are growing. It’s very satisfying to use plant material that would otherwise go to waste to create something effective, useful and that is - as far as raspberries are concerned – a real one-off.”

Paul and son George

To find out more please visit www.kelseyskin.com ■

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Please contact Andy Cottam for your CA requirements, and Jake Taylor or Mark Bigg for Design and Construction

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Sharing the Wild

Lots of us in the agricultural and horticultural world have the privilege of spending time in some truly stunning places; places off the beaten track, places immersed in nature and heritage, away from the light and noise and rush of the urban world.

The pandemic, and the associated surge of staycations, has reminded the country that there are really some exceptional sites within the UK’s borders. There is now a veritable thirst for the wild side of what our countryside has to offer. Where once people thought that to travel wild was to travel far, there is increasing recognition that you don’t need to be high in the Himalayas or lying on a bed-roll in Botswana to have a pretty “out-there” time. More, when the sun shines, the UK can even look (pretty) good on Instagram!

More broadly, society is starting to understand the value of spending time in the natural world; “ecotherapy” – spending time in the great outdoors – can now be prescribed as official medication for mental health issues.

But the boom in people accessing the outdoors brings its own challenges. How can we encourage access to nature that clearly does so much good, while protecting the environment that makes our countryside so special? How can we help visitors to the countryside contribute to the local economy?

Wild With Consent aims to increase access to the countryside in a sustainable way. We connect farmers and landowners to those who want to access the wild, and experience the restorative benefits of nature. Crucially, all our guests stay in campervans or motorhomes. This means they are totally selfsufficient and will leave no trace – they can enjoy the wild, without harming it.

Underpinning it all are privacy and peace; I want guests to experience the total relaxation that comes

from being out in the wild. Thus, we only allow one campervan to stay per night, providing that privacy, but also protecting local ecosystems, by not overloading them with visitors.

The initiative is low impact and low maintenance, as no extra infrastructure is required. We work with landowners to identify a site on their land that fits into our carefully curated portfolio, while fitting in with existing land occupation needs.

“Our experience has been very positive. I usually call in to say hello to campers and have found them genuinely interested in what we’re doing on the farm. I tell them about good walks and where they’re most likely to see wildlife. It has been a great way to earn extra income with very little effort, and seeing our farm through the eyes of customers enthused by their camping experience makes me realise just how lucky I am to live here,” said Jas, Wild With Consent host, Northumberland.

Many of our hosts find sharing a corner of their space a rewarding experience. Seeing the farm through fresh eyes gives a renewed appreciation of the beauty of the natural surroundings, while sharing knowledge about the countryside helps more people understand the importance of our green spaces and the role that farming plays in keeping it alive.

Looking to the future, Wild With Consent is expanding across the UK, to connect more people to share the wild in a responsible, sustainable manner. ■

South

Owlet at Loddington

Owlet at Loddington was born when James Smith of fifth generation, family-owned fruit growing business, Loddington Farm in Linton, Kent, bought Owlet Fruit Juice in 2020. Established in 1986, the Owlet brand is known for its Great Taste Award-winning range of single-variety English apple and pear juices together with highly original blends of English fruits, berries and flowers. Most of the fruit used in the juices is grown on Loddington farm without using synthetic fertilisers or herbicides, with the rest coming from a select group of partner growers.

Producing fruit juice adds value to part of the apple and pear crop that is not within specification for fresh fruit sales. This means that, depending on the variety, 7.5t/ha (tonnes per hectare) of fruit that would otherwise not be picked due to the economics is now turned into Owlet Fruit Juice. Loddington Farm is also growing other crops, such as aronia berries, blueberries, rhubarb and strawberries, that will eventually be used in their juice blends rather than sourcing from suppliers.

Owlet press, bottle and label their juices on-site at the farm in a converted packhouse, delivering locally in an electric van. The juices are sold in farm shops, restaurants and cafés all over the South East. Since owning the brand, Owlet at Loddington has won two

Footprint Sustainability awards – one for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and another for being a Sustainable Supplier, and this year, James Smith won Kent Farmer of the Year.

This award was won partly due to James’ implementation of a regenerative farming strategy over the past two years. Somewhat disillusioned with the UK fruit-growing market and its reliance on chemicals which he saw as unsustainable, James embarked on a programme of self-education to find a way to grow his fruit in harmony with nature for healthier and more nutrient-dense crops, then reflected in the taste and nutritional value of the juices. Convinced that focusing on soil health was the way forward, he has committed to exploring ways of reducing the farm’s impact on the planet. The aim of switching to a system of regenerative agriculture at Loddington was to end the reliance on chemistry to grow crops and instead farm the land in a more sustainable way – capturing carbon, increasing biodiversity, and producing healthier and cleaner fruit for our juices.

Embracing regenerative farming methods has, quite literally, prepared the ground for a sustainable future for the farm and secured the production of high quality, nutritious juices that deliver outstanding

flavour. The farm is on target to achieve its aim for all Owlet juices to be from regenerative orchards within five years. It has already removed herbicides and soilapplied fertiliser from its farming systems in 100% of its orchards and 18.5% are now chemical-free, with no synthetic herbicide, soil-applied fertiliser or synthetic pesticides used.

This regenerative farming strategy goes hand-in-hand with the Owlet brand’s sustainability ethos, and the brand is being used to further spread the messaging on the benefits of restorative agriculture. The change in approach to farming, along with finding new ways of producing fruit juice in an ecologically sensitive manner, has provided significant benefits for both food production and the natural environment.

Sustainability is at the heart of the Owlet business model and significant progress has been made in the use of renewable resources and the reduction in use of non-renewable natural resources. Owlet juice production uses solar and wind energy generated on the farm which contributes around 20% of its annual usage. The cold stores all run on modern refrigeration equipment with zero global warming potential unlike traditional refrigerants and the brand has reduced use of plastics in the business by approximately 50%, with fewer spent chemical containers to dispose of and a move to reinforced

paper tape for carton sealing in the packaging of juice bottles. All Owlet juice is packaged in recyclable glass bottles and they are continuing to look at ways of removing plastic from the business.

Another key factor for Owlet is how it fits into, and benefits, the wider community. The business supplies local livestock farms with our juicing by-product (fruit pulp), and regularly gives back to our local community - donating apples and juice to schools, care homes and food banks. Loddington also regularly host events in an effort to educate local school children on sustainability in farming, and plan to create an education area on the premises of its new farm shop later in the year. It also supports the education programme for The Marden Fruit Show Society.

In addition, Owlet at Loddington is passionate about sharing knowledge and information on sustainable farming for the benefit of farmers, customers and the planet. Loddington Farm’s podcast, ‘Farming For Change’, has received over 2,000 downloads, and James has been featured on local news and in the press discussing his efforts. Both the farm and Owlet’s social media platforms have a highly engaged audience, and act as a platform for the farm to share what they’re doing, their views on topics like rewilding and best practice tips for converting to regenerative practices.

■

What did the Fruiterers ever do for us?

By Andrew Tinsley, Technical Secretary to the Awards Council.

The question “What did the Romans ever do for us?”, posed in the Monty Python film Life of Brian, was then followed by all the things that the Romans actually had done. Admittedly not as ancient as the Romans, the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers founded in the 14th century, has also had a beneficial influence on society and continues to do so.

It is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London and, in common with other Livery Companies, the Fruiterers support the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation, foster a spirit of good fellowship within the livery and are active in raising funds for charity.

A fundamental aim of the Fruiterers is to promote excellence

across all sectors of the fruit industry and to support education and research within it, through the provision of funds, awards and prizes. This is managed by the Awards Council, which is made up of Company members who are growers, marketeers, academics and other professionals, along with Company officers. Technical guidance is provided by two well respected industry professionals.

Research Apples in a warmer world

In partnership with Reading University and the National Fruit Collection Trust at Brogdale, the Fruiterers committed to six years of support for an investigation into the effects of climate change on apple production in a project based at Brogdale.

The incidence of extreme weather events in recent years and the accumulated data continues to point to a changing climate, with potential serious consequences, including our ability to feed ourselves. Some future climate scenarios for the UK suggest even warmer temperatures, with greater variability and extremes in weather patterns – temperature, wind and precipitation. Sounds familiar? This project is investigating how different apple varieties are likely to respond to different climate change scenarios.

Twenty-one varieties have been chosen from the Brogdale apple collection with several traits in mind: normal or low winter chill requirement; a spread of flowering time from early to late; early and late harvest times; a range of tree habit including spur or droopy habits; and different uses.

Climate manipulation has been achieved using three triple-span, environmentally controlled, polythene tunnels. The temperature of each span has been manipulated, with one tracking close to ambient temperatures, one with +1.5°C-2.5°C and one with +3.5°C-4.5°C average temperatures over a year. The first three years were undertaken by Tobias Lane for his PhD and another student, Adam Peter, is continuing the project and will present his findings at the National Fruit Show on 2 November 2022.

‘Good Vibrations’ –Biotremology for capsid control

Vibrations are used in close range courtship by many insects, including serious pests such as the common green capsid, the

European tarnished plant bug, psyllids (including pear sucker) and also some beneficial predatory bugs. The frequency of vibrations are species specific.

An exciting new area of insect communication research is biotremology, or the use of vibration signalling. The project was designed to find out whether biotremology could be used to disrupt the behaviour of the European tarnished plant bug and the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) in commercial strawberry. A method for applying biotremology to strawberry crops through the tabletop strawberry truss support tapes was successfully developed and proved reliable and consistent when deployed. The leisure batteries were able to power the motors throughout the two month treatment application process. Despite these successes, unfortunately, the treatments were not able to deter ETPB or SWD

feeding or egg laying in the fruit during these field trials.

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is an invasive pest that has threatened soft and stone fruit production in the UK since 2012. Many control methods have been developed to prevent crop losses as the result of SWD, one of which is the use of bait sprays. Bait sprays are typically sugar-based products which are attractive to SWD and stimulate a feeding response. Bait sprays are combined with Plant Protection Products (PPP) to encourage SWD to feed on the bait and subsequently provide targeted exposure to toxins.

This method reduces the need

for full foliar applications of products which disrupt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of other pests (e.g. biological control for thrips). The use of a commercial bait sprays (combined with plant protection products) is already approved, and adoption of this method in commercial crops is increasing and proving efficacious.

Assessing the impact of bait sprays targeted to control spotted wing drosophila on beneficial and non-target insects

Company of Fruiterers

There are currently no published studies which investigate the impact of commercial bait sprays on beneficial and non-target insects, hence this investigation, which started this year and runs for two years supported by the Fruiterers and residual funds from the Stone Fruit Club.

The NIAB EMR Plum Demonstration Centre (PDC)

Following an Innovate UK funded project to improve the profitability of English grown plums a new orchard was planted at NIAB East Malling to demonstrate best practice and explore opportunities for more profitable UK plum growing over a longer season.

The PDC offers a tunnelled area to assess the impact on yields and fruit quality, a variety trial area showcasing 23 new selections and named varieties, opportunities to evaluate different water and fertigation regimes, evaluation of root pruning for vigour control and evaluation of mechanical weed control offering reduced chemical herbicide usage. The PDC is currently being used for a range of funded projects and underpinning support is provided by the Fruiterers using residual funds from the Stone Fruit Club.

Education

In addressing education and learning, the Fruiterers are supporting three initiatives: The Collaborative Training Partnership for Fruit Crop Research, the Fruiterers’ Student Prizes and the National Fruit Show Education Programme.

Collaborative Training Partnership for fruit crop research

Collaborative Training Partnerships (CTP) co-invest to train the next generation of skilled people for the research base and wider bioeconomy.

This initiative provides PhD students with a first-rate, challenging research training experience,

undertaking projects that have a direct industry benefit. This opportunity is generated within a mutually beneficial research collaboration between academic and partner organisations, including the Fruiterers, Berry Gardens, NIAB EMR and other academic and industry partners with support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

There are currently 40 projects of interest to the Fruiterers and reports covering progress to date for each individual project can be found on the AHDB legacy website: https://legacy.ahdbdigital.org.uk/ sf-tf-170-ctp-for-fruit-crop-researchstudentships

Fruiterers’ Student Prizes

Fruiterers’ Student Prizes are financial prizes for up to three undergraduate, MSc or PhD students annually, with support from the industry. The 2022 David Hohnen Student Prize was awarded to PhD student Thomas Heaven at Fruit Focus in July for his work on powdery mildew of fruit crops. The Fruiterers Student Prize, sponsored by Berry Gardens, was also presented at Fruit Focus to Lauren Farwell for her PhD project on Cladosporium rot on raspberry fruit. Both winners will make a presentation on their work at the NFS on Wednesday 2 November.

The National Fruit Show education programme

The main objective of this programme is to educate young people on how their food is grown, why they should eat well and why it matters where their food comes from through age appropriate and educationally linked workshops and events.

Importantly the programme also aims to encourage young people to enter the industry. New virtual reality technology enables students to enter the world of work digitally, experiencing the amazing range of jobs, technology and environments that they could work in. This successful education

Awards Council Chairman Chris Newenham presenting the David Hohnen Student Prize to Thomas Heaven

Berry Gardens Chairman Robert Pascall presenting the Fruiterers Student Prize to Lauren Farwell

programme has now reached many thousands young people through free workshops and online material from Early Years to Secondary School ages. The Fruiterers support the employment of a new member of staff to increase the geographical reach.

Promoting excellence in the fruit sector

The Fruiterers objective to support and promote excellence in the fruit industry is addressed through both its awards and various sponsorships.

The Special Merit Award is a collaborative initiative between the Fruiterers and the Trustees of the Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology (JHSB) intended to encourage innovation, vision and practical application in horticultural scientific research and industrial development. The aim of

Worshipful Company of Fruiterers

the first award in 2020 was to help address the mitigation of climate change and it was won by Fresca & Thompson’s Innovation Centre. Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic they have successfully invested in trial plantings of olives and citrus crops. Peter Thompson will make a presentation on their Innovation Centre at the Show on 2 November.

Sponsorship during 2022 includes preliminary preparations for the Next Gen Fruit Group Conference in New Zealand postponed until 2025 and cider at the Royal Bath and West Show.

Nuffield Scholarship – The pandemic affected the travel plans of our 2021 Scholar, John Gray of Angus Soft Fruits Ltd but he has managed to catch up since.

Overseas Travel Awards – Every year the Fruiterers help fund

overseas travel for industry applicants. The pandemic disrupted travel but Dr Trisna Tungadi of NIAB-EMR was finally able to attend a postponed entomology conference in July 2022.

Awards – In recognition of outstanding contributions to the industry the Company regularly presents a number of awards to deserving individuals. These include the Craftsman’s Award, the Under 30 Award, the Management Award, the Fruit Culture Award, the Ridley Medal, the Matthew Mack Award and the Lewis Award.

The Fruit Culture Award and the Craftsman’s Award for 2022 will be presented at the National Fruit Show and so we hope that you will join us and congratulate the worthy winners. The other awards will be presented at Fruiterers events over the winter and announcements will be made nearer the time. ■

Light agricultural robot available for innovation

Agri-EPI is the centre for engineering precision innovation in farming. We help develop profitable and productive solutions to empower more sustainable farms.

We are collaborating on several robotic innovation projects that support a sustainable horticulture sector. Read more about our latest light agricultural robot available for trial and validation work in a range of agricultural environments.

Robotriks RTU v4

Light Agricultural Robot

Agri-EPI has invested in the Robotriks RTU v4. Light Agricultural Robot. Designed as an adaptable autonomous agricultural platform, this robot aids in developing agri-robotics components. It is fully open for developers to test their new technologies in the field without needing to develop their own robotic platform. This capability will help open the doors for a vast range of novel agricultural systems which maximise the benefit offered by robotics.

Agri-EPIs RTU fleet have three control methods available depending on the need of the developer. At its simplest, the units can be manually controlled using an intuitive remote-control system. As a middle ground, they include an advanced autopilot system meaning the robots can drive themselves around using pre-planned routes with collision avoidance. Finally, the systems also include a powerful on-board computer running ROS, which has been configured to send control commands allowing intelligent autonomy to be quickly integrated.

Key benefits:

SUSTAINABLE

ADJUSTABLE

These robots have also had a range of sensors integrated with them to allow for high level autonomy, mapping and collision avoidance. This includes RTKGNSS for initial localisation, a Velodyne LiDAR for 3D point mapping and front and rear facing ZED 3D cameras for local obstacle detection.

Built almost entirely out of aluminium with mounting surfaces on the top, front and rear of the traction units, the RTU was built to last when out in the elements. Featuring a low centre of mass and a wide footprint thanks to its tracked design, the RTU can drive in any orientation on surfaces up to a 54-degree incline.

Connecting the traction units is a truss frame made entirely out of 48.3mm scaffolding pipes. By using such a standard material, it means the robot becomes very easy to configure for multiple agricultural scenarios. If a wide wheelbase is needed to cover more rows or tall frame to navigate vineyards, the truss can be simply adjusted to the requirement. With this flexibility it also broadens the realm of modularity.

These robots have been created for the needs of AgriEPI Centre and our partners as a highly flexible and modular platform and will be gradually improved over time as a collaboration between ourselves and the manufacturer.

For information on accessing our technical assets please contact team@agri-epicentre.com ■

The

By Caroline Ashdown – Avalon Growers PO, and Charnee Butcher – Worldwide Fruit

season

Weather during the

with horrendous

June

300 less sunshine hours

to

much

being more comparable to

the prolonged wet summer, September

2021 Monthly rainfall

Rainfall

Graph

Average monthly max. temperature

Total rainfall for each month by growing region. All data obtained via Met Office website.

The start of 2021 saw much higher rainfall in Kent compared to Ross-on-Wye and Cambridge. It was thankfully still less than the very wet start to 2020. In some months there were again huge variations in rainfall between growing regions, with Manston only recording 5.8mm in February compared to 46mm in Cambridge and 68mm in Ross-on-Wye. May was another month of extremes with Ross-on-Wye receiving double the amount of rain of the other two key growing areas, yet June was much wetter for Kent. The drier conditions in November were very welcome enabling growers to apply post-harvest spray rounds, which is something that has been a challenge in the previous couple of seasons.

Graph 1 – Total rainfall for each month by growing region. All data obtained via Met Office website.

2021 started with some much colder minimum temperatures than in previous seasons. Manston weather station is close to the East Kent coast, which would explain why the minimum in April wasn’t as low as what was experienced in West Kent, East An glia and West Midlands, which all experienced multiple frost events in blossom. It was unusual in that Kent experienced lower maximum temperatures most months compared to the other growing regions. This was especially noticeable in July. Please refer to graph

Temperature

region.

low as what was experienced in West Kent, East Anglia and West Midlands, which all experienced multiple frost events in blossom. It was unusual in that Kent experienced lower maximum temperatures most months compared to the other growing regions. This was especially noticeable in July. Please refer to graph 2 to see the comparison in average monthly maximum temperatures by region. Graph 3 shows the average monthly minimum temperatures.

comparison in average monthly maximum

Cambridge Ross-on-Wye

monthly minimum

Average Max temperature

2021 started with some much colder minimum temperatures than in previous seasons. Manston weather station is close to the East Kent coast, which would explain why the minimum in April wasn’t as

c for each month by growing region. All data obtained via Met

Graph 2 – Average Max temperature oc for each month by growing region. All data obtained via Met Office website.

Average monthly min. temperature

Do you want to increase the yield and quality of your crop? Are you looking for help to combat nutrient deficiencies?

We believe that targeting the fruit crop with readily available nutrients exactly when needed is fundamental. Come and talk to us and see how Yara’s high quality fertiliser, fertigation and bio stimulant products can help you grow bigger and better next season.

Sunshine hours

2021 saw a reduction in sunshine hours across the regions as a result of the cooler wetter season, with Kent experiencing levels on a par with 2018. April had good light sunshine levels in both Kent and Ross-on-Wye, and both regions experienced a drop in hours in May. Across the year Ross-on-Wye had an accumalative total of 1,332 hours compared to 1,635 hours in Kent. There are no sunshine hours available for Cambridge weather station.

Sunshine hours

Harvest 2021

2021 saw a reduction in sunshine hours across the regions as a result of the cooler wetter season, with Kent experiencing levels on a par with 2018. April had good light sunshine levels in both Kent and Ross on Wye, and both regions experienced a drop in hours in May. Across the year Ross on Wye had an accumalative total of 1,332 hours compared to 1,635 hours in Kent. There are no sunshine hours available for Cambridge weather station.

Maturity data supplied by Worldwide Fruit taken from Fruition Po assessments throughout the 2021 season from various sites across Kent. Harvest 2021 was another exceptional year for various factors, which came with its struggles and would like to say growers were happy to see the end of it and hoped for an easier harvest for 2022!

Conference

Strief indexes started off exceptionally high compared to the long-term average and even 2020, which confirmed a later season. Pressures followed suit and started 2.4kg (31.6%) above the long-term average! These steadily declined at a similar rate in the run up to harvest.

Brix’s started off lower than long term average and remained that way throughout the whole testing season and only reaching an average of 12% by the beginning of week 36 which was lower than the starting value in 2020. Lower brix’s was a common theme throughout the season across the various varieties due to the lower sunshine hours and cooler growing season.

On average fruit size started smaller than 2020 with a value of 47.9mm but that was expected due to the lateness of the season.

Graph

Average monthly minimum temperature oc for all growing regions. All data obtained via

Manston Cambridge Ross-on-Wye

Graph 3 – Average monthly minimum

oc for all growing regions. All data obtained via Met Office website.

Cox starches

Gala starches

Precision crop nutrition

Cox

Fruit firmness closely followed the long-term average which was on average about 1kg higher throughout the testing schedule compared to 2020. However, fruit brix levels did not follow trend of high pressures and were exceptionally low even at the point of picking, 11% lower than 2020 with an overall average of 10.5% at week 36.5. This trend of low brix carried throughout season, making picking decisions tricker and time in store crucial to help improve levels. These low results could be explained by the weather seen in the growing season. The weather also impacted top colour development with some blocks struggling to obtain sufficient colour for picking.

Gala

Pressure declined during the maturity testing schedule, followed the long-term average partly until halfway through week 36 where they then had a continuous decline in the lead up to harvest to average 8.70kg by the beginning of week 38. This was 15% below the long-term average for this time.

Sugar levels again were lower than the previous year by 7%, making the start of harvest difficult with the overall average of all gala blocks tested at the beginning of week 38 only being 11%.

Starches started higher than the previous year showing the extend of the late season witnessed, especially in relation to the long-term average. However, from our rounds of testing starch patterns appeared to catch up with 2020 halfway through week 37.

Braeburn

Firmness for Braeburn started off around the same values of brixes for the season, where growers questioned which way around the results went! With pressures starting off on average around 10.60kg and sugar levels 10.3% you would like to think it was the other way around. Pressures remained high though the season compared to 2020 by at least ½ a kilo. This made storers extremely cautious with cooling and storage and establishing regimes due to the high pressures and the risk of the fruit developing internals by causing stress to the fruit.

Sugar levels struggled to reach 11% by the beginning of harvest and were 7% lower than in 2020.

However, starch patterns did follow a trend like 2020, starches were still higher than the long-term average. ■

National Fruit Show 2021

Carmella Meyer receiving the Jon Jones award in 2021

2021 saw a phenomenal display despite the challenges of the year

Gary Marshall, chair of the New Covent Garden Tenants Association joined the panel to choose Britain’s tastiest apple 2022

Adrian Scripps ltd won the long term storage competition – this is Ashley Bournes their store operator

Kent’sand the nations tastiest pear winners B Piper partnership

May Turner of Turners Cider winner of the blended and pearcider classes

Fruiterers medal winners clockhouse farm, Clive Baxter and Annette Bardsley

Ox Truck were the inaugral winners of the Ian Johnston award for practical innovation

Katie Lagridge Mallions farm and young packer prize winner

RACHEL HEATHER MFFS ADMIN

Event management and implementation in the food and drink sector have been the most rewarding times of my career.

Fresh out of a GM hospitality role of 21/2 years I was lucky enough to return to the sector I love and adore by joining the National Fruit Show.

The enthusiastic, knowledgeable, resolute, and creative individuals that exist in this industry inspire me to improve and excel the already strong work ethic I hold.

Predominantly collaborating with artisan food and drink producers and artists of all types, this role connects me to my roots in the Garden of England.

Growing up in the heart of the Kent countryside, nature was my favourite playing field, climbing fruit trees in the orchards, and of course tasting the amazing fruit that grew all around me, my connection to local fruit is back!

Simon Bray long term storage competition winner

The 88th show was opened by Victoria Prentis

Prof simon pearson delivering the second James Nicholls lecture

Chris Rose, Asplins PO

MIKE LUTENER

Mike Lutener retired after more than four decades

Mike said: “40 years ago I was asked to help out and continued ever since.”

Thank you Mike for over four decades making the fruit the centre of our show

Victoria Prentis with NFU deputy President Tom Bradshaw

RBLI won the small trade stand category

The Banfield family won the 2021 Bonanza prize sponsored by Harvest Green Developments

Taunton Cider team, cider champions with Engage Agro sponsor

Exhibitor A-Z directory

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K28 AGRII

MAP-MARKER The Crossways - Huntingdon - Cambridge - PE28 4JH �� 07866 142104 ✉ customerservices@agrii.co.uk

S11 AGRII EPI CENTRE

MAP-MARKER Easter Bush - Roslin - EH25 9RG �� 0131 2397100

marta.bennett@agri-epicentre.com

K20 AGROVISTA LTD

MAP-MARKER Rutherford House - Nottingham Science & Technology Park - University Boulevard - Nottingham - NG7 2PZ �� 0115 9390202 ✉ equiries@agrovista.co.uk

K30 BASF

MAP-MARKER Earl Road - Cheadle - Cheshire - SK8 6QG

44 792 0458163

K34 BAYER

matthew.goodson@basf.com

MAP-MARKER 230 Cambridge Science Park - Milton Road - CambridgeCB4 0WB

07958 219758

christiane.schmidt@bayer.com

H12 BEE FARMERS ASSOCIATION

C/O The members Services - The Holding - Eglwys Cross - WhitchurchSY13 2JP

07972 281496

admin@beefarmers.co.uk

S16 BIDDENDEN RETAIL

MAP-MARKER Gribble Bridge Lane - Biddenden - Kent - TN27 8DF

01580 291726

K1 BIFGA

retail@biddenvineyards.co.uk

MAP-MARKER 4 Broad Oak - Brenchley - Tonbridge - Kent - TN12 7NN

01892 724540

secretary@bifga.org.uk

S28 BIOBEST

MAP-MARKER Henwood Ind Estate - Unit Wyvern Way - Ashford - Kent - TN24 8DW

01233 367167

salesuk@biobestgroup.com

K8 BURG MACHINERY

MAP-MARKER Weihoek 11 - 4416 PX Kruiningen - ZeelandThe Netherlands

+31 1130501373

sales@burgmacheriny.com

H14 CITY HARVEST

MAP-MARKER Unit 8 - Acton Park Ind Estate - London - W3 7QE

0207 041 8491

H10 CORNWELL PRODUCTS

MAP-MARKER

White House - Clifton Marine Parade - Gravesend - DA11 0DX

01474 330707

info@cornpro.co.uk

K22 ENGAGE AGRO EUROPE LTD

food@cityharvest.org.uk

S21 CONCORDIA

MAP-MARKER 19 North Street - Portslade - Brighton -

MAP-MARKER

5 - Town Lane Industrial EstateCharnock Richard - Chorley - Lancs - PR7 5XG

01257 226590

info@engage-agro.com

H11 ERNEST DOE POWER

MAP-MARKER Ulting - Makdon - Esses - CM9 6QH �� 01233 224860

tomwheatley@ernestdoe.com

K31 FARMERS GUIDE

MAP-MARKER Parkside - London Road - Ipswich - Suffolk - IP2 0SS

01473 691888

hello@fruitandvine.co.uk

S9 FAST LLP

MAP-MARKER Crop Technology Centre - Brogdale FarmBrogdale Road - Faversham - Kent - ME13 8XZ �� 01795 533225

susan.tong@fastllp.com

K33 FRANK P MATHEWS/BOTGEN

MAP-MARKER Berrington Court - Tenbury Wells - WorcestershireWR15 8TH �� 01584 810214 ✉ steph@fpmathews.co.uk

K5 FRESH PRODUCE JOURNAL

o r e t h a n a d v i c

MAP-MARKER Studio 2.11 - The Food Exchange - New Covent Garden Market - London SW8 5EL

020 7501030

info@fpj.co.uk

K9 FRUIT SECURITY EUROPE

MAP-MARKER Pottenveld - Opheusden - Gelderland - 4043 AB - The Netherlands

+31657585026 - frank@fseurope.eu

H15 GJ ELGAR CONSTRUCTION

MAP-MARKER The Wharf - Rye Road - Newenden - Kent - TN18 5QG

01233 623739

S2

MAP-MARKER

office@gjelgarconstruction.co.uk

GROWING KENT & MEDWAY

Road - East Malling - ME19 6BJ

01732 843833

charlie.bingham@niab.com

S7 GULLANDS

MAP-MARKER

Mill Street - Maidstone - Kent ME15 6XT

01622 689700

info@gullands.com

S13

HADLOW COLLEGE

MAP-MARKER Hadlow College - Tonbridge Road - Kent - TN11

kirstygibbons@northkent.ac.uk

K27 HAYNES AGRICULTURAL

MAP-MARKER Orchard Place Business Park - Seven Mile Lane - Borough Green - KentTN15 8LW

01732 880880

richardsmith@haynesgrp.co.uk

K15 HORSEPOWER

MAP-MARKER

1 - Owens Court Farm - Selling - Faversham - ME13 8NA

01233 226284

sales@horsepower.co.uk

S33 HORTIFEEDS(NUTREL)

MAP-MARKER Park Farm - Park Farm Road - Kettlethorpe - Lincoln - LN21

01522 704747

sales@hortifeeds.co.uk

K6 HORTUS MACHINERY

MAP-MARKER Moat Farm - Fice Oaks Green - Tonbridge - Kent - TN12

07734 398451

H3 HUMPHRIES & PARKS

MAP-MARKER London Road - West Malling - Addington - ME19 5AN

01732 870711

marcus@humphriesandparks.co.uk

K18 HUTCHINSON LTD

MAP-MARKER Weasenham Lane - WisbechCambridgeshire - PE13 2RN

01945 461177

S18 ICL

information@hlhltd.co.uk

MAP-MARKER Epsilon House - West Road - Ipswich - Suffolk - IP3 9JL

07825 733871

andrew.judd@icl-group.com

K4 J D COOLING

MAP-MARKER Hansa Court - Lubeck Road - North Lynn Industrial Estate - King’s Lynn -

- PE30 2HN

01553 767446

info@jdcoolinggroup.com

K2 J R BREACH

Chittenden Orchards - Steplehurst - Kent - TN12 0EX

01580

S17 KCAS

MAP-MARKER Kent Showground - Maidstone - Kent - ME14 3JF

01622 630975

H13 KENT COBNUT ASSOCIATION

K7 KENT FRUIT SERVICES

MAP-MARKER Old Walnut Tree Farm - Chapel Lane - Blean - CT29 1LE

01227 768069

ellie@kentfruitservices.com

H1/H2 KIRKLAND

MAP-MARKER Griffins Farm - Pleasure House Lane - Maidstone - ME17 3NW

01622 843013

info@kirkland.com

S29 KRESTON REEVES

MAP-MARKER 37 St Margarets Street - Canterbury - CT1 2TU

01227 768231

rachaelmerritt@krestonreeves.com

S1 LANDSEER

Lodge Farm - Goat Hall Lane - Chelmsford - Essex - CN2 8PH

01245 357109

S12 LEAF

mark@lanfruit.co.uk

175 - Avenue J - Stoneleigh Park - Stoneleigh - Warwickshire - CV8 2LG

02476 413911/07523 907421

K13 MAF RODA

justinehunt@leaf.eco

Impasse de Athenes - ZAC Alabsud II - CS 60112

+33

maf@maf-france.com

S30 MC VEIGH PARKER

- Lenham Road - Headcorn - TN27 9LH

K32 MHA

- Minerva Business Park - Lynch Wood -

- PE 6FT

515262

jemma.wyman@mhllp.co.uk

K17 MOBITECH LIFT TRUCKS

MAP-MARKER Grandshore Wood Farm - Grandshore Lane - Frittenden - Kent - TN17 2BZ �� 1580 852473 ✉ jo@mobitechlifttrucks.co.uk

K29 N P SEYMOUR LTD

MAP-MARKER Avon Works - Goudhurst Road - Cranbrook - Kent - TN17 2PT �� 01580 712200 ✉ claire@npseymour.co.uk

S31 NEW LEAF IRRIGATION

MAP-MARKER Unit 7 - Bartle Court - Rosemary Lane - Bartle - Preston - PR4 0HB �� 07483 129535 ✉ ben@newleafirrigation.co.uk

S3 NFU SOUTH EAST

MAP-MARKER Unit 8 - Rotherbrook Court - Bedford Road - Petersfield - GU32 3QG �� Amanda Corp 01730 711930 ✉ south.east@nfu.org,uk

S4 NIAB EMR

MAP-MARKER 93 Lawrence Weaver Road - Cambridge - CB3 0LE �� 07712 131769 ✉ scottraffle@niab.com

S34 OMEX

MAP-MARKER Bardney Airfield - Tupholme - Lincolnshire - LN3 5TP �� 01526 396000 ✉ enquiries@omex.com

S8 ONE PAY GROUP

MAP-MARKER First Floor - Mayfield House - Lower Railway RoadIlkley - West Yorkshire - LS29 8FL �� 0113 320 1464 ✉ alison.mcphail@onepay.co.uk

S35 ORCHARD COOLING

MAP-MARKER Rumwood Green Farm - Sutton Road - Langley - Maidstone - ME17 3ND �� 01622 861989 ✉ info@orchardcooling.co.uk

H8 PLANTEX

MAP-MARKER Howletts Barn - Bekesbourne Lane - Canterbury - Kent - CT4 5EJ �� 01304 849205 ✉ sales@plantexuk.com

S36 POROUS PIPES

MAP-MARKER Calder Mill - Lenches Road - Colne - BB8 8ET �� 01282 873357 ✉ david.barker@porouspipe.co.uk

H4A/B PRINS FORKLIFTS UK LTD

MAP-MARKER Unit F1 - Lympne Distribution Centre - Otterpool Lane - Hythe - KentCT14LR �� 01303 237122 ✉ sales@prinsforklifts.co.uk

S26 RBLI

MAP-MARKER Hall Road - Aylesford - Kent - ME20 7NL �� 01622 795900 ✉ martin.easterby@rbli.co.uk

S22 SELECT TECH

MAP-MARKER 4 Cannon Park - Transfesa Road - Paddock Wood - Kent - TN12 6UF �� 01892 830140 ✉ tesspb@select-technology.co.uk

S24 SOIL SCOUT

MAP-MARKER Lapinlahdenkatu 10 (Maria01) - 00180 Helsinki - Finland �� 07860 833710 ✉ lily.nuttall@soilscout.com

K25 SOUTH EAST FARMER

MAP-MARKER The Granary - Downs Court - Yalding Hill - Yalding - Kent - ME18 6AL �� 01303 233883 ✉ jamie@southeastfarmer.net

S19 SPITALFIELD MARKET ASSOCIATION

MAP-MARKER Office 5/6 Allen House - New Spitalfields Market - London - E10 5SQ �� 0208 5561479 ✉ jan@newspitalfieldsmarket.co.uk

K16 STORAGE CONTROL SYSTEMS

MAP-MARKER Bridge House - Hope Pocket Lane - Paddock Wood - Kent - TN12 6DQ �� 01892 831702

uksales@storagecontrol.com

S32 TECH LTD

MAP-MARKER Unit 7 - Hilton Business Centre - Wotton Road - Ashford - Kent - TN23 6LL �� 01233 714919 - techltd.karenbridges@outlook.com

K23 THE EDUCATION TEAM

MAP-MARKER 1 Knights Hole cottages - Jarvis Lane - Goudhurst - KENT - TN17 2NR �� 07841 837913 ✉ education@nationalfruiitshow.org.uk

S20 THE FRUIT GROWER

MAP-MARKER 21 Church Street - Maidstone - Kent - ME14 1 EN �� 01622 291618/07957858862 ✉ chris,tanton@actpub.co.uk

N2 THE PLEASANT LAND DISTILLERY

K3 TUCKWELLS

MAP-MARKER Great Meade - Pump Lane - Tonbridge - TN22 5RN �� 07714 181821 ✉ apage@tuckwells.com

K21 UKCA LTD

MAP-MARKER Unit 4 - Hoads Farm - Moat LaneSedlescombe - TN33 0RY �� 01424 813268 ✉ jon@ukcaltd.com

S23 UPL EUROPE

MAP-MARKER Engine Rooms - 1st Floor - Birchwood Park - Warrington - CheshireWA3 6YN �� 01925 819999 ✉ bertha.spanberg@upl-ltd.com

S25 VALAGRO LTD

MAP-MARKER P.O.Box 6027 - Corby - NN17 1ZH �� 07778 133343 ✉ m.garner@valagro.com

K10 VERBEEK NURSERIES

MAP-MARKER Kruislandse Dijk 13 - 4651 RH - Steenbergen �� +31 6511904579 ✉ sales@verbeek.nu

S5 WARNERS SOLICITORS

MAP-MARKER Bank House - Bank Street - Tonbridge - Kent - TN9 1BL �� 01732 770660 ✉ k.humphrey@warners.law

K26 WEALDEN AM

MAP-MARKER

Stableyard - 4-5 North Road - Bodle Street - BN27 4RG

01323833086

office@weldenam.com

N1 WILD WITH CONSENT

MAP-MARKER

Fell - 07796 515957 - West Fleetham - Chathill - NorthumberlandNE67 5JT

07796515957

grace@wildwithconsent.com

K19 WORLDWIDE FRUIT

Apple Way - Waldentree Lane - Pinchbeck - Spalding - PE11 3BB

01227 285506

helen.slaughter@worlwidefruit.co.uk

K24 YARA UK LTD

MAP-MARKER Harvest House - Europarc - Grimcby - Lincolnshire - DN37 9TZ

Mark Tucker 01472 889250

agronomy.uk@yara.com