F
News
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he
frui
TG
rower
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e
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e
MB
er
2017
Themakers of a new film aimed at showingbusinesses
what they shoulddo if they suspectmodern slavery has
infiltrated their workplace, are urging employers to screen it to
staff.
The seven-minute film focuses on threemen, who appear
despondent and afraid, beingdroppedoff for work at an
unnamed company. Their demeanour arouses the suspicions
of an
hr
colleaguewho is seen raising her concernswith a
manager.
w
hat happens next, as the film replays the opening
scenes three times, demonstrates the consequences for
employerswhodo nothing, do thewrong thingor, ultimately,
do the right thing.
The film has beenmade by theGangmasters and Labour
AbuseAuthority (GLAA), the
u
K’s anti-slavery police, that
investigates labour exploitation across the country.
GLAADirector of Strategy, Darryl Dixon, said: “
o
ur role is to
work in partnership toprotect vulnerable and exploited
workers, and this film is a prime example of our desire towork
with employers to help identify the signs of labour exploitation
and then, more importantly, show them the right way todeal
with it. All businesses, whether they are largemulti-national
companies or small family-run firms, have a responsibility and
a duty of care to their workers to ensure they are being treated
fairly. TheGLAA is supportive of legitimate business - our
targets are the unscrupulous people behind the illegitimate
practices that enslave and exploit somany thousands of
people”.
The filmwasmadewith financial support fromStronger
Together – amulti-agency initiative aimed at reducingmodern
slavery. DavidCamp is Programme Lead for Stronger Together
andChief
e
xecutive of theAssociation of Labour Providers
(ALP).
h
e said: “
i
would urge all employers to view this film, it
is vital that they take the right actionwhen it comes todealing
withmodern slavery”.
6
e
mployers urged towatchModernSlavery film
As
u
Kwine industry expands, new entrantswill needbest
agronomic advice
The
u
Kwine industry is going from strength to strength, with
onemillion vines planted this year and anothermillion planned for
next year. According to
u
K
w
ineProducers Ltd (
u
K
w
P), which
was formed in July 2017by unifying the
u
KVineyards
Association and
e
nglish
w
ineProducers, there are now 501
vineyards, 2,330ha under vines, plus 133wineries and/or wine
producers producing fivemillion bottles of wine, in the
u
K. Chris
Cooper, a specialist agronomist for
h
utchinsons, is also retained
by the
u
K
w
P toprovide technical support and iswell aware of
what it takes to grow a successful crop under
u
K conditions.
“Top-class agronomy is vital to get the best from the crop and,
withmany new entrants likely in the future; there is a greater need
to offer a professional helping hand throughout the season. The
u
K industry is set to continue to expand and togrowby 50%by
2020.
u
K growers are taking accolades andprizes regularly.”
Chris explains that this advice goes backwell before the crop is
planted. “Planting systems and variety selection are important for
thewine tobe produced and in the
u
K the top varietieswe grow
areChardonnay (23% of area planted), Pinot Noir (22%) and
Bacchus (8%). “Bacchus is grown almost exclusively in the
u
K as
it suits our growing conditions particularlywell. Just as inNew
Zealand, where theSauvignonBlanc grape transformed theNew
Zealandwine industry, soBacchus coulddo the same for the
u
K.
Another grape variety that has hit the headlines this year is
Albari
ň
o. This variety is usually associatedwith thewet climate of
northwest Spain inGalicia. But this year aChapel DownAlbari
ň
o
winemade from grapes grown in 2014 inSandhurst, Kent
outperformed those of Galicia in a blindwine-tasting inMadrid.”
e
achmonth growers need to focus on different aspects of
agronomy – pruning in thewinter, disease control, pest control,
weed control and nutrition in the spring and summer and
harvesting andwine-making in the autumn. “
e
ach season
requires expert advice on agronomy, which at
h
utchinsonswe
provide. Keeping upwith registrations in vines is challenging
enough, and
i
get involved in submitting applications for
e
AM
u
’s
for the industry that will allowmore products tobe used in cost-
effective grape growing.
w
ithmany new entrants potentially
coming intowine growing, it is a lotmore than just deciding toget
involved andplanting up. There are a lot of technical skills
required tomake sure that youmake the best of what you have
got,” saysChrisCooper.
