ANGER STILL FLOWING OVER MAC REPORT British Summer Fruits, which reps berry farms, says it "strongly" disagrees with parts of MAC report. Says it is wrong to call the sector as ‘small, low wage and low productivity in the wider the UK context’. "This completely misses point". 1/
"...soft fruit industry is highly significant with a farm-gate turnover of circa £650million per annum, employing some 3,000 permanent staff, as well as 29,000 seasonal employees, making significant contributions to the rural economy and to the exchequer" 2/
“The report also states that the disappearance of UK horticulture may lead to ‘modestly higher prices’ for consumers. This again misses point that home produced fresh produce is infinitely better for the environment than imported product," 3/
Sharp statement says MAC completely misjudging the sector, " disagree strongly with the points made with regards to the industries lack of relevance to the UK economy, and its willingness to take on technology. "
"British berry growers have increased productivity massively in the last twenty years, producing around five times as much tonnage of berries from a similar surface area."
