11
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MARCH 2018
CONFERENCE REPORT •
arosewith non-biological approaches to control systems.
For example, it was common tomonitor atmospheric
humidity independently of the rate of air Åow. ‘But the
plantswill not transpire if there is no airÅow, irrespective of
the humidity’, he said.
Dr TimPettit of theUniversity ofWorcester spoke on
pathogen testing for water. He highlighted theAHDB
project CP136 currently under way. Its objective is to
develop rapid andprecisepathogendetection techniques
for use on nurseries.
Plant health threats to theUKwas the topic for the first
of two speakers from theRoyal Horticultural Society.
Dr. GerardClover, headof plant health for theRHS,
concentratedhis attentionon thebacterial pathogen
Xylella fastidiosa. Already causing serious loss inother
European countries, this organismhas awide host range,
including lavender, but is not yet established inBritain.
Another speaker from theRHS, trialsmanager Sabatino
Urao, reportedongoingdevelopment in theSociety’s
work. Awardof GardenMerit triallingwas about to start
on adedicated area of one hectare at the newRHS
garden inBridgewater,Manchester, whichopens to the
public in 2020. Trialling atWisleywill continue on a slightly
reduced scale. FormanyBPOAmembers, thepetunia trial
scheduled there for 2018will be of special interest.
Trialling in containers has become increasingly important
in recent years, and this again is adevelopment that
will bewelcomedbymany commercial growers of
ornamentals.
ChloeWhiteside of ADASmade the closing contribution
to the technical seminar programme, with apreviewof
2018work at theBedding andPot Plant Centre near
Coventry.
SimonDavenport receives theBPOATrumpet Blower
award fromMinetteBatters, newly electedpresident of
theNFU.
Labour crisis
AmyGray, theNFU’s policy advisor for horticulture,
reported a serious shortfall in seasonal labour availability.
In2016 supply–mainly fromother EU countries –was
roughly inbalancewithdemand. Throughout 2017,
however, therewere shortages of seasonal workers,
peaking inSeptember at almost 30percent.Muchof this
was down to a sharply reducedproportionof theprevious
year’sworkers returning to theUK in2017. TheBrexit
vote itself, the resulting shift in the exchange rate of the
Britishpound, and the seasonal workers’ perceptions of
their welcome in theUK all contributed to the changed
situation. The following speaker wasSamZubaidi,
operations anddevelopmentmanager of Concordia, the
longest established seasonal labour provider. He reported
that 2017hadbeen the first year inwhichConcordia
was unable tomeet all requests for labour. For 2018 it
is aiming through its overseas agents to increase the
proportions of returnees to seasonal work in theUK and
has recruited some new agents. He reported that some
UK employers havedecided to reduce their scale of
operation, andothers are expandingproductionon foreign
sites. TheNFU is urging affectedmembers to lobby their
MPs.
Coming shortly
The next BPOA event is on7thMarch inEssex andwill be
hostedbyMike andRolandSmithofWDSmith Son.
Therewill be a trade-only opportunity to see the annual
MeadowCroft viola andpansy trial in its final week of
culturebefore transfer to the retail garden centre. Coupled
with this, therewill be an eveningprogramme of technical
presentations. The event is sponsoredbyBenary, andwill
include speakers fromFargro,Mardenkro andModiform.
Awards
At the annual dinner of theBPOA,Matt Day of Newey
Roundstonewas recogniaed for his promising contribution
to the horticultural industry. He received theDerf Paton
Bright Spark award, presentedbyMinetteBatters, deputy
president of theNFU. Hewas congratulatedon his
‘vigorous and enthusiastic approach to his developing
career’. The association’s Trumpet Blower awardwent
to recent past chairmanSimonDavenport. Thiswas for
hiswork inpoinsettiapromotion last season. He has
beenwell known in theprotectedornamentals industry
formany years, with a long career at senior level with
HollyacrePlants.
