MP’s Lucy Frazer and Mark Spencer visited G’s in Barway and Ramsey last week (Thursday, September 14) to discuss a range of issues and opportunities currently impacting UK farming.
Discussions ranged from access to labour and skills, through to the impact of lowland peat on UK admissions.
The ministers toured the Barway site and visited G’s’ organic farming and celery harvesting operations to see firsthand the speed of harvest and the challenges of infield automation of salads harvesting.
Mr Spencer then travelled to G’s Growers in Ramsey to officially open the new onion grading facility, a £12million investment, and meet with the G’s Growers Ramsey team.
As a grower himself, Mr Spencer stated the importance of horticulture and the role of UK growers in promoting the industry and ensuring that consumers are aware of its importance in keeping shelves full and feeding the nation with UK grown fresh produce.
He also restated the Prime Ministers vision at the UK Farm to Fork summit which is to deliver a clear ambition to produce domestically 60 per cent by value of all the food we need.
Will Jolly, chairman of the G’s Growers onion grower group, thanked Mr Spencer for opening the new grading facility and the support DEFRA has given to Producer Organisations to date.
He said: “At G’s Growers we are pleased to be able to contribute to the discussion on the future of the PO scheme as it’s a real opportunity to remove some of the Brussels bureaucracy and simplify the process.
“A new UK PO scheme presents an opportunity to really add value to UK growers making them more productive and ultimately better equipped to serve UK consumers and feed the nation.
“It also gives growers the opportunity to ensure they are in a good position to achieve future net zero and environmental targets.”
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