The Horticultural Trades Association celebrated the importance of local green businesses and their connection to Liverpool’s culture during a business reception at the Labour Party Conference in the city, with HTA member business J. Parker’s providing guests with a packet of Yellow Submarine tomato seeds. 

Organised by the Enterprise Forum in partnership with the HTA, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), UK Hospitality, and Heathrow, the Liverpool Business Reception showcased to politicians and industry leaders the crucial role local businesses play in promoting community growth. Among those attending on 30 September were: James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury; Bill Esterson MP, Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, and Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress.

The Yellow Submarine tomato seeds from J. Parker’s act as a reminder of the strong relationship between the city’s heritage and horticulture. The significance of Yellow Submarine relates to the hit Beatles song of the same name, released in 1966.

Jennifer Pheasey, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the HTA, said:

“This event was the perfect opportunity to highlight to policymakers the crucial role our plant growers, garden centres, designers, landscapers, and manufacturers play in the UK economy. Collectively, our sector provides 722,000 jobs and contributes £38 billion to GDP.

“We have some fantastic horticulture businesses here in the North West, including Westland’s manufacturing site in Ellesmere Port, the family-owned Happy Plants in Formby, and J Parker’s, who operate across the region and kindly supplied the iconically-named ‘Yellow Submarine’ tomato seeds for the event.

“Green space and gardens matter. However, in 2025, almost four million UK adults still lack access to a garden or outdoor space, with most living in deprived areas. That is 7% of the UK adult population and 7% too many. There is a real risk that this figure will rise if the Government does not recognise the importance of gardens in delivering 1.5 million new homes. The UK’s parks, urban forests, street trees, planters, and other green spaces provide vital environmental, social, economic, and health benefits to individuals, communities, and society.

“We have three key asks for policymakers: To recognise the value of our green spaces, ensuring they are part of cross-departmental policy making and target delivery. Not to hold back growth by pushing costs up even further for SMEs and finally reset UK-EU trade quickly with easements and implement a Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement as soon as possible, to free up and reduce unnecessary friction at our borders.”

The HTA Policy and Public Affairs team engage with policymakers across the political spectrum to ensure that horticulture’s challenges and opportunities remain on the political agenda. During Party Conference season, the team will continue to highlight some of the key sector issues that members have raised.  For more information about the work of the Policy and Public Affairs team at the HTA, visit: hta.org.uk/policy.