The Horticultural Trades Association has submitted its Autumn Budget proposals to the Chancellor, calling for urgent action to ease pressures on its member businesses and unlock the environmental horticulture sector’s potential to contribute over £51 billion to the UK economy by 2030.

Environmental horticulture is an often-overlooked contributor to the UK economy, generating £38 billion in 2023 and supporting over 722,000 jobs across the supply chain – from growers and retailers to landscapers, manufacturers, wholesalers and garden designers. With barriers lifted, the sector could grow to £51.2 billion by 2030, creating an additional 40,000 jobs. However, the HTA warns that this growth will depend on the decisions made in November.

Jennifer Pheasey (HTA Director of Policy and Public Affairs) with Rt Hon James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury at the Labour Party Conference.

The Autumn Budget comes at a time when businesses, particularly SMEs, are facing sharp increases in employment and input costs, weakened consumer confidence, and new tax and regulatory pressures. Certainty, the HTA stresses, is urgently needed if businesses are to invest with confidence. Unlocking barriers in the planning system and ensuring consistency across councils will also be vital to enable retrofitting and the delivery of green infrastructure at pace.

Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, said: “Rising costs, combined with tax and regulatory changes announced in last year’s Budget, are squeezing horticultural businesses to breaking point. From higher employment costs and National Insurance to proposed changes in inheritance tax reliefs, the impact is being felt throughout the entire supply chain. Many of our members have already told us they’ve had to raise prices, scale back recruitment, or postpone vital investment as a direct result. That isn’t sustainable — and it risks fewer jobs and less tax revenue in the long run.

“That’s why we’ve submitted a clear set of proposals: no further tax hikes on employers, urgent reform of business rates, and a pause to consult properly on Agricultural and Business Property Relief changes. Environmental horticulture is a £38 billion industry today, with the potential to grow to more than £51 billion by 2030. We provide skilled jobs, we help green our towns and cities, and we play a vital role in helping the UK adapt to climate change and meet its net-zero commitments. With the right framework, our members can invest in water resilience, peat-free growing, green skills, and the landscapes that support health and wellbeing across the country.

“Last year’s Budget put barriers in the way of growth. This year, we must begin to remove them and give our sector the certainty and confidence to deliver greener growth for Britain.”

The HTA’s submission sets out detailed proposals, with priority areas summarised below. Full details are available in the letter to the Chancellor, which is attached below in the Notes to Editors.

1. Support businesses to invest and grow by reducing regulatory and financial barriers

• Halt further rises in employer taxes, including Landfill Tax - any more costs on business would severely impact all HTA members, with proposals on landfill tax risking significant costs for landscapers and new housing projects.
• Pause and consult on changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), which could shrink the economy by £143m and cost over 1,300 jobs by 2030.
• Reform business rates, including fair treatment for Garden Centres.
• Improve access to investment allowances and tax reliefs to help horticultural businesses invest, particularly in peat-free research and innovation.
• Support skills, automation and technology adoption to boost productivity.
• Invest in green intellectual property, including Plant Breeders’ Rights, making the UK competitive with EU and US fee structures.
• Reverse harmful reclassifications such as double-cab pickups, which add costs to landscapers.

2. Ensure businesses can invest and deliver for climate resilience and a net-zero future

• Establish an Office for Green Spaces to coordinate cross-government work on the role of green infrastructure.
• Require every new home to include high-quality gardens of a minimum size to secure health, wellbeing, and climate benefits.
• Cut planning barriers and expand access to water storage and resilience funding.
• Back the industry-led transition to peat-free growing with a clear roadmap, timelines, and funding for R&D.
• Ensure non-black polypropylene pots can be classed as green and recyclable under EPR rules.
• Recognise horticulture, landscaping and arboriculture roles in official green jobs definitions, and expand funding for skills and apprenticeships.

3. Work with businesses to deliver on the shared ambition of a UK-EU SPS Agreement

• Secure a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with easements for plants as soon as possible, to reduce costly border friction.
• Fully fund new and upgraded digital systems to support and streamline plant trade.
• Design workable pre-notification schemes and support businesses that have already invested in Control Points.

HTA members can access the full details of the letter on the website: hta.org.uk/policy/member-briefings/

For more information about the Policy and Public Affairs works at the HTA, visit: hta.org.uk/policy.