What does the cancellation of Wimbledon mean for their only strawberry grower, Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd in Kent? And how will the labour shortage, as a result of COVID-19, impact their business?
In the latest podcast from the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), Anna Hill speaks to OFC Director and owner of Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd Marion Regan, who is happy for the press to use comments from the podcast for publication.
Established in 1893, the business grows strawberries, raspberries and blackberries and is the only supplier of strawberries to Wimbledon, producing 33 tonnes in 2019.
Marion talks about how COVID-19 and the cancellation of the sporting event will impact their business, what they can do to mitigate wastage including a recent conversation with food banks, and the challenge the business is facing recruiting seasonal workers.
In the podcast, Marion tells Anna “We are committed to the crop; it is planted but we can adjust timing to help reduce our peak of production.”
She also touches on why strawberries are a success story for the UK, how the supermarkets have helped grow sales for berries and how sophisticated UK production systems are leading the world due to their technical ability.
She comments: “UK strawberries are a success story for the country. We have a sophisticated production system and lead the world due to the technical ability of the British growers. The supermarkets have grown sales, people want to eat berries and the supermarkets have had the confidence to put plenty out there for people to buy – we are serving the market from our own production.”
The podcast is kindly sponsored by BASF Agricultural Solutions.
