In This Issue
Wyevale Garden Centres confirms sale of Old Barn
Amazing British compost from an amazing British company
"The government needs to sit up and take notice of this sector." Alan Titchmarsh tells MP's and peers
Plant sales lead the way, according to GTN Bestsellers
James Ducker takes the reins as the MD of Langlands
Greenfingers Charity says thank you to its FUNdraising Friends
HTA awards Pearson medal to Baroness Fookes
Cross-party MPs and peers urge government to boost backing for UK horticulture
Remember, remember 13th November! Final call for Cultivating Retail
Smart Garden Products strengthens Head Office support
Record autumn for lawn seed sales says Johnsons
New roles and promotions as Tong goes for growth
Nursery invests to further improve customer service
LazyLawn helps foster carer love her garden on ITV show
Helleborus Christmas Carol season starts
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Elho appoints new commercial chief
Pot feet sales increase after first cold snap
October growing media sales heading for a record
Top 10 Bestsellers grow ahead of the rest of Christmas
Prime time for Primulas
International buyers’ event offers major opportunity for UK suppliers
Finance for Non-Finance Managers workshop
BIZZ Holland present at IPM Essen 2019
Show Your Colours Award IPM 2019
The best of last week's
Dobbies scoop up Woodcote Green
Westland's £4m offer for Gardman put them at front of a long queue
Delegates learn how to stand out from the crowd
Prague inspires garden centre delegates
Houseplants sales 16% up in September says GCA
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
New kitchen pod means more choice for Squire's Chertsey customers
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Cross-party MPs and peers urge government to boost backing for UK horticulture

Cross-party MPs and peers are calling for greater government support to secure the future of the UK's £24.2bn horticulture sector post-Brexit, in a new report published last week.

 

The All-Party Parliamentary Gardening and Horticulture Group (APPGHG) makes wide-reaching recommendations for how government can help drive sector growth which, despite its scale, is often undervalued, overshadowed and as a result, underdeveloped.

 

The APPGHG's report follows a nine-month inquiry into the key issues facing the sector. Having collected evidence from across the industry, it recommends that the government should:

 

  • Review and improve plant-health legislation post-Brexit;
  •  Implement an Investment Incentive Scheme to increase domestic horticulture production;
  • Provide matched funding for horticultural science R&D projects;
  • Adequately fund Further Education in horticulture to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality training;
  • Expand the Seasonal Workers Pilot to include ornamental horticulture to ensure industry access to seasonal labour.

 

Baroness Fookes DBE and Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, Co-Chairmen of the APPGHG, said: "Once a Cinderella - largely disregarded despite her many virtues - horticulture is now being recognised for the heroine she is.

 

“The importance of horticulture lies not simply in the improvement of the health and well-being of individuals but in its impact on the environment, its ability to provide careers at every level and its huge contribution to the economy.

 

“However, if it is to fulfil its full potential for good we need the Government to recognise that horticulture affects not simply DEFRA but other Government Departments such as BEIS, Education, Health and Social Care and International Trade. We urgently need a unified approach or - to use that rather hackneyed phrase - joined-up Government." 

 

DEFRA minister George Eustice (pictured with Baroness Fookes and Alan Titchmarsh) said the horticulture and landscaping sectors made an important contribution to the economy. “Our Agriculture Bill sets out to reward the work undertaken to protect and improve the environment, including where benefits are delivered by the horticulture industry. I encourage all those with an interest to engage with the Bill as it goes through Parliament."

 

Alan Titchmarsh said the “excellent” report made a compelling case for the changes the sector desperately needed. “Horticulture plays a major role in every aspect of our lives; in our living environments and communities, in our health and social care systems, and in protecting our environment and mitigating against pollution and climate change, “ he added.

 

“The Government needs to sit up and take notice of the sector - which the UK is famous for around the world - and give it the crucial support it needs.”

 

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