I was delighted to welcome guests to Parliament on 10 September for the launch of a landmark report on the future of British fruit.
The White Paper from British Apples and Pears shows mow much progress has been made already and how much potential there is for this sector.
I wrote a section on the report on “Post Brexit Britain” – setting out what the sector needs from the Government to help thrive outside the EU. In the case of most farmers, this means good access to labour, fair trade deals, and agricultural support that recognised the environmental and public goods of fruit farmers.
British growers are the bedrock of the UK’s food industry. It’s fantastic news that home-grown fruit sales have increased by 50% in the last 10 years.
Growing more British apples and pears is not just good for the economy, it’s good for health too.
We often hear about things that we shouldn’t be eating, but eating more apples and pears is something we definitely should be doing. In fact – fruit and veg are the only foods that the Department of Health recommends we eat more of.
I’m really pleased the Government is consulting on a National Food Strategy – which includes looking at how we can produce more healthy and affordable food.
I’m encouraging farmers in Faversham and Mid Kent to take part in the consultation on this, which closes on 25 October.
