F
News
F
T
he
frui
TG
rower
• JAN
u
A
r
Y2017
i
n hisNewYearmessage, N
fu
PresidentMeurig
r
aymond
said: “
i
t is fair to say that 2016 has been a tumultuous year
for the farming industry, as it has been for the country.
w
e
have seen continued extremes inmarket returns formany
sectors, not least dairy, leaving family businesses staringover
a precipice onemoment, tobe replacedby recoveringprices
the next. Alongside the economic realities, the historic
eu
r
eferendum looks likely tobe a game-changer formany, as
over 40 years of
e
uropean policy is replacedby farmpolicy
controlled at
u
K level.
w
hile the theme of 2016 has been one
of growing uncertainty, for the sake of farming, 2017must
provide greater certainty and confidence and
i
’ll be looking to
theGovernment, as farmers look to theN
fu
, toprovide this.
“
i
amproudof how theN
fu
and ourmembers have
responded to the
r
eferendum result. Themembers’ message
during our consultation has been clear –make the case for
farming toGovernment, ensurewe have a policy that allows
farms tobe profitable, competitive, andprogressive, and
don’t regret whatmight be lost - seize the opportunity. N
fu
officeholders and staff have done just this.
w
e’ve built an
historic coalitionwith other farming organisations, food
producers andprocessors and ensured that ourmessages
are being heard in the corridors of power inCardiff and
w
estminster.
“
i
t would have been impossible for thePrimeMinister, Defra
andGovernment’sBrexit teams to ignore the largest-ever
coalition of
u
K foodproducers ledby theN
fu
andother
u
K
farming unions. Together, we called for tariff-free access to
the singlemarket and continued access to a competent and
reliableworkforce. This is paramount for British food and
farming to flourish, post-Brexit.
o
ur letter was signedby 75
foodorganisations and food companieswhich together
employ nearly onemillion peoplewith a turnover of £92
billion. Since thenwe’ve seen theCB
i
call that the
Government achieves aBrexit that works for thewhole
economy using farming and finance as examples.
“Despite the uncertainty for farms,
i
ampleased to say that
public support for British farming remains as strong as ever.
w
emust continue to give people strong reasons toback
British food and farming, now and in the future. British
farming is the bedrock of the
u
K’s largestmanufacturing
sector – food anddrink. The sector isworth £108billion to
the nation’s economy andprovides jobs for 3.9million people.
“There is nodoubt inmymind that 2017will be an historic,
unique opportunity topresent a newdeal for farming in
Britain.
“
w
e expect 2017 tobe busy.
w
e’ll set out our expectations
for a post-Brexit domestic farmpolicy in theNewYear as part
of our response to the anticipatedDefraGreenPaper, which
will re-visit its unpublished25-year-plan and takeBrexit into
account. Thismust aim to create a policy that deliversworld-
class farming that is supportedby aworld-leading science
base to ensure that our post-Brexit future is profitable,
competitive andproductive for us all.”
4
N
fu
President’sNewYearmessage
Koppert introduces a new generation of ‘smarter’ hives
Leadingbumblebee producer, Koppert Biological
Systems hasmade a range of innovative changes to its
Natupol products. The launch of the new range has been
timed to coincidewith preparations for the next strawberry
growing season in northern
e
urope. The new range of
Natupol products carry features that have optimised the
hives tomake it even easier for the bumblebees to
operate in sub-optimal growing conditions, particularly
conditionswhere low light levels or hot temperatures are
limiting the bees’ performance.
Newand improved features
Bumblebees see a different spectrumof light to humans
and relymuchmore on contrasting light patterns to
navigate. Koppert has applied this knowledge to redesign
its hives, so that the colours and contrasts used aremore
in linewith howbumblebees see theworld.
TheNatupol
e
xcel hive, the successor to theNatupol
e
hive, has several additional features thatmake it the best
hive for difficult pollination conditions, be it low light levels,
high temperatures or a high number of flowers (35-60per
sq.m). The hive has a larger volume of sugar water and
houses a larger colony, increasing the pollination capacity
of the colony. The ventilation openings have beenmodified
to ensure that the hive is better ventilated, giving it an
edge during the hotter times of the year, particularly in hot
greenhouse conditions. These openings are now
screened, so that any unwanted visitors to the hive, such
aswasps, cannot enter through the ventilation holes.
TheNatupol
e
xcel hive also incorporates varying
reflective cues around the hive entrance to help the
bumblebees to relocate their own hivewhen returning to
the nest. Thismeans fewer bumblebees end up lost in the
crop, resulting inmore effective pollination.
Ready tomeet the futuredemand for
bumblebees
The newNatupol system is the result of 26 years of
accumulated expertise, coupledwith the latest technology
–Koppert’s best bumblebees, technically advanced hives,
andKoppert’s customised advice, that delivers consistent
performance and the best availability in themarket.
