September 2024 will mark the start of the new British apple season and UK growers say that an early start to the growing season has resulted in a good volume of slightly larger apples.

Young apples are now growing and ripening slowly in orchards across the UK. Growers have been reviewing their crops closely and have set out the following predictions for the coming 2024 British apple season:

• Apples will be larger than average. The mild weather during March and April this year is resulting in larger apples. This will mean that the price per pack will need to increase, or retailers should look to put more four packs on the shelf, as consumers will be getting more ‘apple’ in their six-packs than in previous years. Growers will be talking to their retail customers about this natural reality to ensure that they receive a fair return for the weight of apples they are producing.
• Apple volumes are generally looking good. While variations from orchard to orchard exist, the overall apple crop is looking reasonable. Expectations are that it will be slightly larger than in 2023, but not as big as 2022.
• Some skin blemishes, but great eating experiences. This year’s crop may not be picture perfect, but the eating experience will be as delicious as always. Some orchards have experienced hail damage and there is a low level of russeting in some locations due to the spring weather. This will result in blemishes on the skin of the fruit. What is important is that this does not result in food waste. The eating experience is the same and these apples are just as delicious as usual.

Commenting on the grower predictions, Ali Capper, executive chair of British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL), said: “Weather and cost of production issues have once again challenged our growers, but they are resilient and working hard to deliver a great crop later this year. We’re expecting 2024 to be a good crop, but we probably won’t reach the bumper volumes of 2022.

“With larger fruit looking likely, it’s essential that retailers pay a fair price for the weight produced, not just the number of apples produced. We are desperate to stop the contraction in the industry that has come from unsustainable returns. We need to be investing in orchards, planting more trees and building the UK’s food security and that means fair returns.”

As in recent years, BAPL members are working closely with retailers to create in-store theatre celebrating the best of British top fruit from the month of September 2024 onwards. TV advertising and strong social media promotion in 2023 really helped to raise the profile of new season apples with shoppers. It’s hoped that this year is even bigger and BAPL will also be investing heavily in social media advertising at start of season to showcase the ‘superfood’ health benefits of British apples.

RELEASED: 2 AUGUST 2024

As the fresh produce industry, retailers and NGOs continue to explore ways to reduce plastic in the supply and sale of fresh produce, British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) has published a new report into potential solutions.  

May 2024 has been especially busy with government announcements of high relevance to British apple and pear growers. 

In this article, we summarise the two key government announcements relating to seasonal workers and fresh produce farming more broadly, and BAPL’s response. These comments have been publicised widely in the trade media. 

 

Five-year seasonal worker scheme announced by Defra

Ali Capper, executive chair of BAPL spoke on behalf of the organisation when the government’s response to John Shropshire’s independent labour review was announced in early May 2024.

Ali Capper said:

“We are delighted with the government response to John Shropshire’s independent labour review. At long last, our growers have the labour certainty they need to plan for the future. Our pleas have been answered.

“Until now, apple and pear growers in the UK have not known from one year to the next whether they would be able to access the seasonal workers they need to pick their crop. This kind of uncertainty has been incredibly stressful and entirely unnecessary.

“With a seasonal worker scheme commitment to 2029, we can now plan for the long term. Just as we do when we plant young apple trees.

“What is really important for government to understand is that we, as a sector, want to grow – we want to produce more apples and pears – and that means more labour not less. We hope that this government commitment to 2029 is associated with a growing number of workers to support our sector’s growth. We would also urge the government to look at extending the visa length from six to nine months to better reflect the reality of the extended fresh produce growing season in the UK.”

“In terms of this announcement, we also welcome the commitment to robotic picking technologies. This is an incredibly complex area and many technology companies have struggled to create a workable solution. When you’re trying to replicate the expert eyes and gentle hands of an experienced fruit picker, it’s not easy. However, we are keen to see progress in the technology in this area and the government support could definitely help.

“In terms of automation of packhouses, most of our apple and pear growers are already using highly automated processes. However, we definitely welcome the further automation funding the government has promised in this area.

“Finally, we want to thank John Shropshire for his thorough and thoughtful Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain. British apple and pear growers in the UK feel we have been heard at last.”

 

Prime Minister’s announcement at the Downing Street Farm to Form Summit on 14th May 2024

Just a week later, the Prime Minister hosted growers, retailers and other interested bodies at its annual Farm to Fork Summit. Several new government commitments were announced at the Summit.

BAPL welcomed the government announcement that included much-needed funding for UK apple and pear growers.

Ali Capper, on behalf of BAPL, commented:

“British apple and pear growers will be absolutely delighted with this much-needed announcement from the Prime Minister. 

“Our growers will be especially heartened by the announcement of up to £10m for English orchard growers to access equipment, technology and infrastructure. This fast-forwarding investment will give our sector the critical confidence it urgently needs right now.

“We also want to welcome the doubling of funding for a retained EU scheme replacement in the PM’s announcement. We will need to look carefully at the detail to ensure it doesn’t add more red tape with any new structures, but that notwithstanding, it’s very welcome news.

“Finally, the Food Security Index is a positive move. We’ve been in desperate need of a device like this that can drive home-grown fruit and veg production. We’re not surprised at all that this year’s Index has revealed that UK farming is at its most productive since records began – it’s something our apple and pear growers tell us all the time.

“The future of British orchards and the growth of British apple and pear volumes is definitely looking brighter today.”

Both these government announcements are testimony to the hard work of British Apples & Pears to highlight the issues facing growers and the solutions needed to support the industry.