- UK fruit and vegetable growers
- Production area
- Horticultural output
- Self sufficiency
- EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme
- Storage
- Production efficiency
- Environmental impact

UK fruit and vegetable growers

1. There are a total of 2,243 growers nationwide (excluding potatoes), of which 1,821 are commercial horticulture growers, 395 are apple and pear producers and 27 are mushroom growers
2. As with other agriculture sectors, a small number of growers are responsible for the vast majority of production and there is a long tail of small growers
3. Producer Organisations (POs) are encouraged by the EU. There were under 50 recognised in the UK in 2009, but they vary in size, up to over 150 members, while the average number was 23 producers
    

Production area

The planted area of fruit and vegetables grown in the open has fluctuated over the last decade:

1. The planted area in 2011 was greater than in 2003
2. However, the area in 2011 was almost 17% smaller than the average planted area between 1996 and 1998
3. Vegetables account for around 80% of the produce grown in the open, with orchards and small fruits making up the remainder
    

Area grown in the open (000 Ha)

Source: Defra

The total area of vegetables, salad and fruit grown in glasshouses was 1,948 hectares in 2011.
 

Horticultural output

The contribution of horticulture to total agricultural output has changed little in the past fifty years; in 2009 the contribution was up by less than 1% to 13%, compared with 2008.

In monetary terms:

• The production of horticultural crops totalled £2.5bn in 2009
• Lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and onions account for 48% of the total value of production
• In fruit production, strawberries and raspberries are the most valuable crops
   

Self sufficiency

The UK is increasingly reliant on imported of fruit and vegetables to meet domestic requirements, both for items that the country is physically unable to produce and for products that are out of season in the UK.

Source: ADAS/Defra analysis of HM Revenue and Customs data

The chart shows:

• While levels of domestically-produced fruit have remained relatively stable, imports have gone up to meet increased demand
• Levels of domestically-produced vegetables have reduced by 24%, while imports have increased by 51% over the last 20 years
   

EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme

The Scheme aims to support Producer Organisations (‘POs’) that enable and encourage growers to realise greater scale of marketing and improved efficiencies. POs allow members to build stronger supply chain relationships and exert greater influence in the marketplace.

• The Scheme was introduced in 1996
• Since 2005, the number of POs has been in decline due to a number of factors, including the impact of unfavourable EU audits and consolidation between POs
• Even at its peak, the proportion of national production supported through the Scheme was always lower in the UK than for many other EU countries
• Only 35% of UK produce goes through POs compared with 90% in the Netherlands
• The Greenery in Holland had a turnover of €1.84bn in 2010 which was greater than the farm gate value of vegetable production in the UK
   

Storage

Once harvested, any natural resistance fruit has to spoiling is lost and, in some cases, the degradation process is accelerated by changes in the fruit’s enzymes. It is, therefore, important to maintain proper storage conditions to prolong the produce’s quality and its storage life.

Fresh fruits need low temperatures and high relative humidity to reduce the respiration and slow down the metabolic process.

Methods to reduce degradation are as follows:

• refrigerate the produce to reduce the rate of respiration
• vacuum cooling
• reduce the oxygen content of the environment in which the produce is kept to a value not above 5% of the atmosphere, but above the value at which anaerobic respiration would begin

The notion of 'seasonality' is increasingly difficult to define both due to prolonged storage and higher levels of imported goods.
 

Production efficiency

The majority of fresh produce is harvested by machinery, often using very sophisticated rigs; it is then washed, graded and packed for customers. These processes are variously controlled by growers and the supply chain structures of which they form part.

Work by IGD (Food Chain Centre) has demonstrated the potential for improving these processes through the greater adoption of 'lean thinking' principles.

Further details of this work, together with case studies, can be found at Food Chain Centre - Putting business improvement into practice.
 

Environmental impact

Greenhouse gases

• According to the Food Climate Research Network at the University of Surrey, consumption of fruit and vegetables accounts for around 2.5% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions
• The most greenhouse gas intensive stages of the fruit and vegetable supply chain are transport, in particular air freight, and refrigeration
• However, overseas grown produce which is reasonably robust, cultivated without heating or other protection and is transported by sea or short distances by road, is also fairly low in greenhouse gas intensity
• UK field grown fruit and vegetables cultivated without additional heating or protection, which are not fragile or easily spoiled, has the least negative environmental impact

Water

• Horticulture is a minor user of water, accounting for about 1% of the total water abstracted
• However, the usage of water for irrigation is concentrated in the drier parts of the country and reaches its peak during the summer months
• Between June and August, there are a number of areas where the agricultural demand is greater than the summer availability of water, largely in East Anglia
• Water used for irrigation is vital to ensure crop yield and crop quality (particularly at key stages of growth) and has an important role to play in reducing imports of some fruit and vegetables

Waste

• All produce is grown to a specification agreed with the grower’s customer(s)
• Fruit and vegetable crop yields vary year on year due to weather conditions and management practices
• Natural variability is an additional factor that limits the proportion of produce that is within specification
• Evidence from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) suggests that the proportion of produce that does not make a retail specification can vary between 1% and 25% (varying by product and season)
• Much of the out of specification produce will be channelled into secondary markets, supplying customers such as caterers, wholesale markets and food processors
• Any remaining produce is used for animal feed or as a natural fertiliser; although, clearly, it is in the grower’s interest to gain as much financial return as possible for their products

The evidence suggests that growers and their respective supply chain organisations send little, if any, produce to landfill. As a result, the whole crop is fully utilised in some way.

	Related Items on IGD.com: Factsheets: - Cereals - Local Sourcing - Dairy - Red Meat Free downloads: - Farming Best Practice Guides