Horticulture , the vital £ 5 billion manufacture focussing on yield , vegetables , and decorative plants , is at a crossroads . The sphere is under - prioritised and ungratifying by policymakers , leaving holes in the UK ’s nutrient security and power to meet net - zero goals .
These are among the finding of a new report , ' sow the seed : A blooming English horticultural sphere , ' published today by the cross - party House of Lords Horticultural Sector Committee .
BackgroundUK growers have been hit heavily by rising plant food and DOE price due to the on-going shock of Brexit , the Covid-19 pandemic , and warfare in Ukraine .
The sector is also struggling to appeal unexampled endowment and is comprehend as unattractive and unaccessible . This has guide to a reliance on seasonal migrant Department of Labor . The Committee heard evidence of discrimination and development of seasonal workers , including the non - payment of remuneration and over - crowd together , inferior fitting .
While the sector must do more to reduce its emissions , it can help to mitigate the impingement of climate change through improving biodiversity , atomic number 6 capture , and urban rejuvenation . However , the acceptance of exciting new applied science to affirm the transition to more environmentally friendly , less labor - intensive growing methods is dependent on an effective R&D landscape painting and a dependable skilled toil provision .
The Committee was particularly damning on the role of supermarket , whose red ink - leader strategies squeeze cultivator returns in favour of low-pitched prices for consumers and which prioritize cheaper imports over UK - grown produce .
Key recommendationsThe report calls on the Government to take dance step to safeguard the future of the sphere and harness its potential to deliver on vital food for thought security measure and environmental goal :
Chair ’s commentLord Redesdale , Chair of the Horticultural Sector Committee , order :
" Horticulture is a multi - billion - pound manufacture employing over 50,000 people , but it is too ofttimes overlooked by policymakers .
" In the face of a cost - of - living crisis , supermarkets are battling to keep prices down , but this squeeze UK growers out of the market in favor of cheap imports . This fundamentally jeopardise intellectual nourishment security and the domestic mart for ornamentals .
" Our composition call on the Government to publish the ' world - leading ' Horticulture Strategy it promised over a year ago and get on with its review article of fairness in the gardening supply concatenation .
" As part of this , it must secure the skills pipeline by boosting the place of gardening on the curriculum , attract up a decipherable work force strategy , and desperately come up to reports of victimisation link to the seasonal worker visa .
" Amateur and professional plantsman likewise must be supported to transition towards more environmentally friendly practices , and the R&D landscape painting must be review to insure it backs British cultivator to innovate .
" With the assurance and living of the Government , the horticulture sector can realise its illimitable potential . "
Source : committees.parliament.uk
