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THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MARCH 2017
• NEWS
LATEST
NEWS
Dutch glasshouse growers in
more positivemood
Almost 10% of Dutch glasshouse producers have plans to
expand this year, according to a survey of 1,800 growers in
the last fewmonths of 2016by Dutch agrimarketing specialist
Agridirect. It said the percentage had increased for the second
year in a row.
Protected salad growers are themost optimistic, with
14% planning to expand compared to 3.5% of growers of
ornamentals. The percentage of glasshouse growerswith
plans towind up or scale back operations has dropped
since the survey in 2015, to just over 6% of protected salads
producers and12% of ornamentals growers.
About a fifth of businesseswhere the grower is 50 years or
older have a successor ready to take over, but that’s a slight
fall on the previous year.
Wim van denBoomen of ZLTO, theSouthern Agriculture
andHorticultureOrganisation, said greenhouse growers
had probably already had expansion plans in place but had
postponed them. He said that while the sector has always had
its ups and downs, it has taken longer to come through the
last difficult period. The fact that more greenhouse growers are
planning to invest is “a sign that we are back on the right road,”
he added.
Government proposes to
amend polytunnel planning
guidance
Both theNFU andCLA, which represents landowners and rural
businesses, havewelcomed the government’s proposal to
amend planning guidance to better support the development
of polytunnels and on-farm reservoirs in England.
The government signalled its intention in its response,
published in February, to theRural PlanningReview.
It said it wanted to ensure that the planning system gives
polytunnels and on-farm reservoirs ‘appropriate, positive
consideration’. ‘Appropriateweight should be given to the
agricultural requirements of proposedpolytunnels,’ it said, while
the development of reservoirs ‘shouldbe considered in the
context of the increased drive for morewater storage.’
Evidencewas collected from farmers and growers last year on
how the planning systemwasworking in rural areas and how
it couldbe improved. It found themain issue for polytunnels
was food producers’ concern that planning professionals
were not giving sufficient weight to the increasing importance
of protecting crops in the drive tomeet customer demand for
British-grown produce. At the same time, other respondents
to the call for evidence voiced concern about the visual and
environmental impact of polytunnels.
NFU senior planning and rural affairs adviser SuzanneClear
said new guidancewould send “a positivemessage to
growers”.
CLApresident RossMurray said it couldmake the difference
in encouraging growers to invest in their businesses.
The government will also consult on a new permitted
development right to convert agricultural buildings to up to five
dwellings.
MPs hear of need for SAWS
scheme to secure harvest
labour
The government was urged
to set up and trial a labour
scheme based on the
former Seasonal Agricultural
Workers Scheme, targeting
Ukraine in the first instance,
when the Environment,
Food andRural Affairs
select committee heard
evidence from growers and
labour providers in February
at its inquiry into labour
constraints on the food
supply chain.
ChrisChinn of Cobrey Farms, Herefordshire, which grows
a range of crops including asparagus and blueberries, some
under protection, called for the trial with a country outside of
the EU to allow growers to demonstrate that, workingwith the
