Food security under pressure: UK fruit in an era of climate change - with Ali Capper

Food system transformation models often rest on us all eating more fruit and veg and less meat and dairy. But even if consumers were persuaded to choose a more plant-based diet, our supply of fresh produce is on a knife edge: Mounting pressures from Brexit to supermarkets, and labour to energy costs, mean many UK growers have left glasshouses, fields, or orchards unplanted or unsown for two years now. In addition, we rely heavily on imports (around 80% for fruit, 45% for veg) from countries that are projected to suffer large-scale drying and other climate-related shocks and stresses. Add to that an ever more fractured world with traditional trade routes disrupted, and there is a big case for increasing our own domestic production. But how? What are the challenges? How can research and academia contribute?
THIS IS PART 2, FOCUSED ON FRUIT. To watch Part 1 on veg and salad crops with Lee Stiles, go here; • Food security under pr...
In this webinar, Ali Capper is our presenter. Ali wears many hats and is a well-known voice in British horticulture. She grows eating and cider apples at her family farm on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border and is the executive chair of British Apples & Pears, a grower-funded apple and pear trade group. Ali also sits on the NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board, which she was chair of from 2016-2022. She has contributed to the government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and regularly appears in national media and the farming and horticulture press. She is also a director of the Oxford Farming Conference, Director of British Hop Association (she also grows hops), chair of Wye Hops, Chair of Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd, a Nuffield Scholar, and non-executive chair of rural insurer, NFU Mutual.
Follow Ali on Twitter here; / alicapper and Linkedin here; / alison-capper-71163813
This webinar is chaired by Jez Fredenburgh, Knowledge Exchange Fellow for the AFN Network+, and agri-food journalist. Jez is based at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
Useful links;
Lords Horticulture Committee enquiry into the sector; committees.parliament.uk/publ... and the press release summarising key points;
committees.parliament.uk/comm...
Evidence submitted by BAPL to the Efra Select Committee on fairness in the supply chain; committees.parliament.uk/writ... and www.britishapplesandpears.co....
Story on orchards being dug up; www.britishapplesandpears.co....
Industry ‘on a knife edge’ says Ali; hortnews.com/british-apple-in...
British Apples and Pears www.britishapplesandpears.co.uk/
NFU Horticulture & Potatoes committee www.nfuonline.com/updates-and...
About the webinar series:
This webinar is part of a series run by AFN Network+ which explores net zero in the UK agri-food system with leading movers and shakers. Expect deep and varied insight from across the sector, including farmers, scientists, policy analysts, community leaders, retailers, politicians, businesses and health professionals.
Connect with Jez on LinkedIn; / jezfredenburgh and Twitter/X; / overthefarmgate and Neil on LinkedIn / neil-ward. . and Twitter/X
Watch past webinars here; / @afn-network-plus
Follow AFN Network+ on Twitter/X / afnnetwork and
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/agri...
/ agrifood4netzero
Join our growing network of 1,400+ people across UK agri-food working on food system transformation, from academics to farmers, food companies, NGOs, policy makers and citizens - www.agrifood4netzero.net/join...
The AFN Network+ is funded by UKRI.

[@616ShadowFox]

thanks for putting this up