5
F
News
F
Berry
w
orldGroup, the
u
K-based soft fruit specialist, and
Beekers
h
oldingsBV are building on the success of their
Berry
w
orld
e
urope 10-year joint venture.
i
t is intended that the
twobusinesseswill become one inDecember 2017 toprovide a
platform fromwhich to grow theBerry
w
orld
e
uropean business
in 2018 andbeyond.
w
il Beekers, ManagingDirector of Berry
w
orld
e
urope says,
“This consolidation of our joint venture into a single business is
the next step in the highly successful evolution of Berry
w
orld
e
urope.
o
ur team is looking to the future direction of the
business andwe’re excited about the emergingpossibilities that
the
e
uropeanmarket offers. As a grower
i
ampleased that the
combinedbusinesswill be able to take advantage of the
synergies in the demand for ourmarket-leadingpackage of
strawberry, raspberry, blackberry andblueberry varieties across
our customer base. There is potential for householdpenetration
growth inCentral,
e
astern andSouthern
e
urope,” saysBeekers.
Adam
o
lins, ManagingDirector of Berry
w
orldGroup,
comments, “The
u
Kmarket has ledberry growth andproduct
innovation over the past decade. As a result, the
u
Kberry
market ismore developed andmature. The total value of the
e
uropean soft fruit
market is currently three
times that of the
u
K, on
the back of significantly
lower penetration for all
berry types.
w
e see
enormous potential,
therefore, in a number of
eu
territories”.
o
lins
concludes, “Combining
our Berry
w
orld
e
urope
teammakes perfect
sense aswe continue to
grow theBerry
w
orld
brand across the
eu
.
w
il
and
i
are delightedwith
the team’s success so far
andwe’re looking
forward to continued
growth over the coming
years”.
T
he
frui
TG
rower
•
D
e
C
e
MB
er
2017
Merger of Berry
w
orldGroup andBeekers
h
oldingsBV to
build on success of joint venture
Abreakthrough in
e
mergency Authorisations
A novel approach to grantingderogations has been
introduced for the first time via an
e
mergency Authorisation for
Cuprokylt.
The 120-day
e
mergency Authorisation, for the use of
Cuprokylt in the control of Nectria canker on post-harvest
apple andpear trees, has been split between the two high-risk
periods for the disease, at leaf fall in autumn and after bud
burst in spring. “This totally new approach to granting
authorisationswill offer growers the opportunity toprotect their
crops fromone of themost damagingdiseases during the key
periods,” explainsCertis’ regulatory affairs officer, Maria
McKelvie. “The fact that theChemicals
r
egulationDivision
(C
r
D) have agreed to split this
e
mergency Authorisation
across the two usage periods is a significant breakthrough, as
it recognises the importance of the product to the industry.”
After lobbying fromA
h
DB
h
orticulture, Defra, the
o
rganic
Growers Association, theSoil Association, andCertis, among
others, growers now have access to a product through the
periods of greatest risk. “There is a huge amount of work going
on behind the scenes toget these authorisations granted, and
it really has been a team effort,”Maria says.
r
obSaunders, chairman of theA
h
DBTreePanel, explains
that when consideringgranting
e
mergency Authorisations,
C
r
D seeks reassurance that a long-termplan for tackling a
disease has been developed.
“Looking ahead to cropprotection in the longer term, and
finding alternative
approaches to
tacklingdiseases
such asNectria
canker, is vital. “As
a result, A
h
DB
h
orticulture has
commissioned
N
i
AB
e
M
r
to
undertakework to
advance the
understanding of
disease expression, how the disease interactswith resident
endophytes, and to investigate novel approaches to control.
The project is already providing useful insights that will help
growersmaintain tree health in the face of the diminishing
range of products available,” saysMr Saunders.
SelchukKurtev,
i
PMmanager at Certis, says that a
commitment to supporting
u
K growers in the apple andpear
sectors, has brought the industry together. “This new approach
fromC
r
D, demonstrates that industry stakeholders and the
regulatory bodies are listening to grower’s needs, and are
willing to invest in securing the future of apple andpear
orchards in the
u
K. “Certis is also actively looking at alternative
copper-based fungicides, and have some promising
candidates in the pipeline,” saysMr Kurtev.
