The role of UK horti in growing a greener future

Added on 08 November 2023

Tags

The role of UK horti in growing a greener future

Last month, the UK’s Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) launched a new two-part report, ‘The Value of Plants’ at Horticulture, The Conference. The new reports ‘From Nursery to Nature’ and ‘Delivering the Environmental Improvement Plan through the Value of Plants’ set out the evidence and industry asks to secure this value.

From championing environmental preservation to boosting economic prosperity and enhancing individual wellbeing, the industry’s impact is far-reaching, aligning seamlessly with the Government’s ambitious environmental objectives in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP23). The delivery of no less than 7 of the 10 aims of the EIP 23 is dependent on a thriving UK horticulture sector.

James Barnes, HTA Chairman, commented: “Environmental Horticulture is one of the few sectors so well positioned to lean into the impacts of climate change and to genuinely deliver green growth. Our ability to deliver on this green agenda is based on fact. The findings of the HTA’s new reports are especially pertinent with the current economic and regulatory context. Our research shows that inward investment from horticulture businesses to improve and promote plants’ biosecurity, quality and environmental impact will add significant value to consumers and sustain the volumes of plants and trees supplied into our natural environment. However, we find that increased costs specific to horticulture, such as managing the transition to peat-free production, rising input and seasonal labour costs, and the costs of new environmental regulation or cross-border trade, risk our industry’s ability to deliver this value.”