In This Issue
Hillview Garden Centres complete acquisition of The Garden Store
Are you ready for a feast of new products at Glee?
Peckish calls on garden centres to help families switch off this half term
Grimsby garden centre unveils growth plans and new jobs
Autumn lawn care kicks into action, according to GTN Bestsellers
New additions to Fiskars SmartFit range
If catering and food are your growth areas our new Food Xtra will help you
Record number of new products on show at PATS Harrogate
RHS Roundtable meeting with Environment Minister Lord de Mauley
Bradley Barton Primary win Stewart Garden Schools Campaign
Amenity Sales Executive
Plant Buyer - South West
Head of Buying - Cambridgeshire
Buyer - Buckinghamshire
Junior Buyer - Cambridgeshire
Garlic and onions steal the show in garden centres
Sales boost for growing media
Six arrests made after ram-raid at Cumbria Garden Centre
New Elho sales rep in South West
Gardman team grows to drive growth
Sarah Raven's Kitchen Garden range complements Successful Flowers
Millais Nurseries is the latest Plant Grower to join Primrose.co.uk
Brighouse Garden Centre appeals for help after theft
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
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RHS Roundtable meeting with Environment Minister Lord de Mauley
 

Environment Minister Lord de Mauley attended a Roundtable on Ornamentals on 1 September at Hatfield House, hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), to discuss overcoming barriers to competitiveness and growth.

The Roundtable included representatives from a number of organisations in the ornamentals sector, including the RHS, the Horticultural Development Company, the Horticultural Trades Association, the Horticulture Innovation Partnership, the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Lantra, the NFU and YoungHort.

The purpose of the meeting was to find ways to increase the competitiveness of the sector by joint working, and attendees discussed barriers facing competitiveness; opportunities for growth; and attracting young people to the sector.

Attendees discussed some of the barriers to competition, including the market structure, perception of ornamentals industry, skills and recruitment. The importance of raising the industry’s profile was emphasised. They also identified opportunities for more cooperative working, and increasing the export market. The group agreed the need to better promote the benefits of the ornamental sector in terms of the environment and long term sustainability.

Lord de Mauley offered to help by communicating with other government departments about the importance of ornamentals in achieving their policy outcomes, such as jobs, careers, import displacement/exports, health benefits and tourism.

Representatives from Lantra and YoungHort stressed skills shortage and the need for 19,000 new entrants to ornamentals and production horticulture by 2020. YoungHort referenced a recent survey which found that gardening was in the top five hobbies of 25-30 yr olds, but explained that yet there was a lack of awareness of careers in horticulture. To address this gap, they are working to educate career advisers, parents and teachers about career opportunities, and have fifteen ambassadors that go into schools to promote the industry.

The Roundtable agreed to develop a concrete action plan by 1 April 2015. To achieve this ambitious goal they agreed to establish four action-groups to focus on

•             Promotion and perception of the industry, which will be chaired by Carol Paris (HTA)

•             Quality of Employment Opportunities, which will be chaired Martin Emmett (HDC)

•             Supply Chain, chairman – to be agreed

•             Policy impacts and benefits, chaired by Chris Hartfield (NFU)

The Roundtable plan to reconvene in December to discuss progress with a final meeting by April 2015.

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