Stanway Garden Centre in Essex, part of British Garden Centres, hosted The Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel MP alongside Amy Stubbs, Managing Director of British Garden Centres. The meeting was to discuss the escalating costs, placing a significant strain on businesses across the horticultural sector.
The meeting addressed critical challenges facing the industry, including the impact of the Autumn 2024 Budget measures and the increase in National Insurance Contributions.
A key discussion point was the urgent need for political support on the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. Amy highlighted how supply chain costs have significantly increased since Brexit, with some businesses absorbing up to 25% higher costs. With half of the £1.2bn worth of plants and trees sold annually in the UK imported from the EU, the proposed SPS agreement would eliminate the need for plant health certification and physical checks at the border, reducing the administrative burdens and delays currently affecting the industry.
The meeting also explored the transition to peat-free growing media. While British Garden Centres fully supports a peat-free future, Amy emphasised the importance of a properly supported and realistic transition timeline. Professional growers are facing peat-free growing media costs up to 37% higher than traditional alternatives, and Amy highlighted how the sector needs government support for investment, clear guidance, and a level playing field that includes imported plants.
Amy Stubbs, Managing Director of British Garden Centres, said: "It was invaluable to meet with Priti Patel and discuss the very real pressures facing our industry. As a family-run business rooted in local communities, we see every day how rising costs and regulatory challenges affect growers, suppliers, and garden centres across the country.
"By working closely with government and industry partners like the HTA, we can help shape a future where horticulture continues to flourish, supporting local jobs, strengthening our economy, and encouraging more people to discover the many benefits of gardening.”
Priti Patel MP commented: “I was delighted to visit Stanway Garden Centre and to speak directly with Amy, their Managing Director, about the real pressures their business is facing. Garden centres like this are a cornerstone of our local economy, providing jobs and serving families across our community, yet they are being hit hard by Labour’s damaging policies.
“It is deeply worrying to hear how rising employment costs, higher business rates and escalating energy prices are placing unsustainable pressure on businesses in the horticultural sector. Many of these businesses are already operating on tight margins, and Labour’s policies are making it even harder for them to plan for the future.
“Local businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they deserve a government that supports them rather than penalises them. Only the Conservatives have a clear and credible plan to back businesses, protect jobs and deliver the growth that communities like Witham depend on.”
Samantha Smith, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Horticultural Trades Association (of which British Garden Centres is a member), said: "Showing politicians, like Priti Patel, what HTA members do in their local areas is a valuable opportunity for everyone involved. Site visits really help bring the sector's story to life; they highlight the challenges facing the industry, whether that's rising business costs, workforce pressures, or regulatory compliance.
"It's particularly rewarding to see MPs recognising the value of the business they are visiting, and understanding the positive impacts the wider environmental horticulture sector brings, whether that's its economic contribution, health and wellbeing benefits, role in tackling climate change, or ability to bring local communities together. We encourage HTA members to host their local politicians, which we can help to facilitate."
