According to the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU), severe flooding has been a "major blow" to farmers as crops have been severely damaged. The union said that many farmers have lost a "significant amount of crop" to the wet weather. It comes after a number of areas in counties Down, Armagh and Antrim
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November 2023 is set to be the biggest month ever for store openings at M&S. read more

Nationwide Produce has been awarded BRC Grade AA certification for its new packhouse operations in Evesham just three months after applying for it. read more

At last month’s Fruit Attraction exhibition, French interbranch organisation Interfel drew inspiration from the Tour de France as it expanded the country’s presence in Madrid, taking visitors on ‘Le Tour Frais’ of France’s various regions, with the Tour Eiffel of fruit and vegetables
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Producers in Chile are working to minimise the impact of recent rains which have damaged early cherry production in different parts of the country. read more

The NFU has welcomed many of the House of Lords’ recommendations to the government to help grow the UK horticulture sector made in its ‘Sowing the seeds: A blooming English horticultural sector’ report published today (6 November). read more

Comment: The main challenge for farmers in the UK and across the world in coming decades will be to produce increasing quantities of nutritious and healthy food, while at the same time making significant environmental gains including improving soils, saving water, and reducing carbon emissions.
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Many of the world’s leading fruit and vegetable breeders have welcomed a landmark decision that gives variety owners extended legal protection for what are known as essentially derived varieties (EDVs). read more

The Soil Association Group used its annual trade conference last week (2 November) to share its vision for ‘Organic For All’ – an ambitious new approach for scaling organic production and consumption in the UK. read more

UK horticulture, the £5 billion industry focusing on fruit, vegetables and ornamental plants, is under-prioritised and unappreciated by policymakers, leaving holes in the nation’s food security and ability to meet net zero goals. read more

The first estimate released by the Chilean Cherry Committee indicates that Chile expects to export 95.4m (5kg) cartons of cherries during the 2023/24 season, up 15% from last campaign. The committee, whose members represent more than 85 per cent of the country’s cherry export volume, said the
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Spain accounts for 41% of the world’s organic lemon production area. The area of organic lemon grown in the country totalled 11,509 hectares in 2022, increasing by 574% in 10 years. As for organic grapefruit, acreage grew by 418% over the same period to 685 hectares, which represents 22% of
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Argentina has resumed exports of organic citrus to the EU, making its first shipment for 2 decades, following the reopening of the market in May. The 60.5-ton consignment of organic lemons, certified by plant health service Senasa, departed from the port of Buenos Aires and arrived in Europe
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Until 3 December, Ventura will be in communication with an engaging new integrated campaign dedicated to protein bars (click here), with the dual objective of generating awareness of the PROTEICA line and promoting the new Goodness and Well-being positioning for the Ventura brand. read more

Belgian walnuts are not yet abundantly available in supermarkets. Nonetheless, growers in Flanders should be able to reap this emerging crop's fruit in the coming years. To draw attention to local nuts, a Walnut Day will be held on November 12. It will include a tour of Hugo Vets farm. Hugo
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Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), an infrastructure solutions provider in Africa, has sold its 35% equity stake in Atlantic Terminal Services Limited (ATSL), the concessionaire for the expansion of Ghana’s Takoradi Port, to the global port operator Yilport Holding. read more

Ecuador’s dragon fruit window is expanding. Up until last year, the country had production volume 10 out of 12 months. This year, however, dragon fruit will be available year-round for the very first time. “Although Ecuador had some production every month this year, October showed
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"Considering the multiple economic crises that have occurred over the past few years, some European retail chains and other operators are pushing on imports from extra-EU countries," reports Vittorio Gona from Alba Bio OP. "These dynamics are increasingly attracting countries such as Turkey,
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As Christmas is coming closer, demand for pomegranates is increasing, says Yigit Gokyigit, commercial coordinator for Turkish fresh produce exporter Alanar: “The Turkish pomegranate season started last month with the first crops. Demand so far has been satisfying for the whole market. We think
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Japanese strawberry varieties are highly appreciated internationally for their delicious taste. However, they are quite soft, which poses problems in storage and transportation. They can also affected by diseases, which vary from region to region. read more