On 25th March 2026, BAPL held its annual retailer webinar.
Broadcaster, Charlotte Smith, expertly introduced and chaired the event, which gave retailers, political stakeholders and others the chance to hear direct from BAPL growers.
BAPL executive chair, Ali Capper, provided:
- News about a proposal to measure carbon, water and nature (biodiversity) in orchards in a way that suits all retailers and growers
- The big issues facing growers, including the challenges of input inflation from recent events in the Middle East, seasonal labour, the audit burden and the latest on the EU-UK reset
- The winner of the BAPL Best Season Launch award was announced
- The latest sales figures and retailer league tables
- Plans for the season launch
A grower panel then answered questions from the audience on topics as diverse as apple size, varietal development, auditing and how consumers can be helped to find British apples and pears in store … answer? Union Jacks!
View the slides from the BAPL retailer webinar
It was encouraging to see representatives from all the major retailers on this webinar.
This is is a critical time for everyone to come together to ensure that British consumers have the access they want to nutritious and delicious British apples and pears.