An alliance of growers' groups has announced its resignation from a government industry roundtable, citing "disappointment" at its decision not to develop a horticulture strategy. The UK Fruit and Vegetable Alliance (FVA) has withdrawn from the government's Edible Horticulture Roundtable, just one day before the UK's Food Summit, taking place on 16 May.
Members of the FVA include the NFU, British Apples and Pears, Landworkers' Alliance, Soil Association, Organic Farmers and Growers, and others. The move is in light of the recent news that Defra has no intention of fulfilling its commitment to create a horticulture strategy for England.
The FVA warned that horticulture businesses across the country were ‘struggling to remain viable’. Without a strategy from the government, food shortages and sporadic empty supermarket shelves may become the norm, the alliance said.
Source: farminguk.com