The Horticultural Trades Association has launched its Welsh Environmental Horticulture Manifesto, setting out clear priorities for a future Welsh Government to better support gardens, green spaces and the businesses that help communities across Wales grow and thrive.

Environmental horticulture is a vital but often overlooked part of the Welsh economy. The sector contributes £1.8 billion to Wales's GDP and supports around 37,000 jobs, with the potential to grow further by 2030. From garden centres and nurseries to landscaping, plant production and garden tourism, the sector underpins wellbeing, biodiversity and climate resilience in communities across the nation.

The manifesto calls for a more joined-up, cross-government approach, recognising that gardens and green spaces contribute directly to Welsh Government priorities on health, education, the environment and the economy, in line with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

Key asks:

• Recognise the value of gardens and green spaces by developing a Horticulture Strategy.
• Establish an Environmental Horticulture and Green Spaces Group to enhance cross-departmental working.
• Ringfence funds for green spaces to protect against shortfalls or budget cuts in project delivery.
• Improve police response times in rural locations and simplify the reporting processes for businesses.
• Raise the threshold for the higher business rates multiplier and apply it to sites with a Rateable Value of over £500,000.
• Implement consistent kerbside collections across Wales and include recyclable non-black plastic plant pots.
• Improve financial support for environmental horticulture businesses.
• Unlock barriers and deliver consistency in planning applications for environmental horticulture businesses.
• Develop an action plan for ornamental and productive plant and tree production to support UK-based plant production. 
• Introduce a Statutory Requirement to ‘Grow Plants’ into the Curriculum for Wales.
• Build on the UK Government’s Jobs Guarantee Scheme and go further with employment support for Welsh businesses.

Katie Neenan, HTA Senior Public Affairs and Policy Executive, said: “Environmental horticulture already delivers against many of the Welsh Government’s priorities, from public health and education to sustainability and economic growth. This manifesto sets out practical, achievable actions to help the sector do even more while supporting communities across Wales. We’re looking forward to discussing these proposals with Members of the Senedd in the months ahead.”

HTA members across Wales report rising costs and regulatory pressures that are limiting their ability to invest and grow, particularly among SMEs, which make up the vast majority of the sector in Wales. The manifesto highlights practical actions the Welsh Government could take to create the right conditions for sustainable growth while delivering environmental and social outcomes.

The manifesto builds on the HTA’s Welsh Growth Strategy and engagement with the Welsh Government and stakeholders across the sector. It provides a constructive blueprint for how environmental horticulture can help Wales meet its ambitions on wellbeing, sustainability and economic growth.

Katie Eckley, Operations Director at Old Railway Line Garden Centre and an HTA member in the Wye Valley, said:

“A strong focus on the positive story around horticulture, particularly its impact on wellbeing, the climate and biodiversity, would be really welcome. There are powerful messages here, and it feels like the right time to share them and present some relatively easy wins for the Welsh Government to champion.

A Welsh-language version of the Welsh Environmental Horticulture Manifesto is also available. The HTA will formally present the manifesto to Members of the Senedd at a dedicated Senedd event hosted by Mark Isherwood MS next month, allowing MSs to hear directly from businesses and organisations working across Wales.

The Welsh Environmental Horticulture Manifesto is available at: hta.org.uk/policy/wales