Prime Minister Andy Burnham is preparing to pursue closer European ties at the UK-EU summit in Brussels on 20 November, promising lower costs and less paperwork for farmers and food businesses. But Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) chief executive, Nigel Jenney, has repeatedly highlighted a danger that those ambitions must address: additional barriers for essential fresh produce arriving from outside the EU. Farmers Guardian reports that food exports will be at the forefront of

Fresh produce businesses have a fresh opportunity to press for changes to the UK–EU Reset after Brussels confirmed that the next summit will take place on 20 November — with agrifood rules among the areas under review. The European Council announced on 12 October that its President, António Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will welcome Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Brussels for the second EU–UK summit. Leaders will assess progress since the first

The FPC chief executive has highlighted the risks to Britain’s global fresh produce supplies as industry leaders debate the consequences of a proposed UK-EU food agreement. Fresh Produce Consortium chief executive Nigel Jenney has put the protection of Britain’s global fresh produce supply chains at the centre of the Brexit reset debate, warning that closer ties with Europe must not penalise trade with the rest of the world. Speaking to iNews, which reported on Conservative p

Experts have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to treat food shortages as a national security issue, with increased UK fruit and vegetable production among their priorities. An open letter delivered on 5 October warns that Britain is inadequately prepared for serious disruption to food supplies. Foodrise, which coordinated the initiative, reports more than 180 signatories, including academics, farmers and community food leaders. The signatories identify climate change, geopol

Norfolk fruit grower Place UK has warned of uncertainty over seasonal labour beyond 2030, highlighting the continuing dependence of British soft fruit production on overseas workers. Image: Place UK The Tunstead-based business employs around 700 people during the summer. Its fruit pickers are either Seasonal Worker visa holders or EU citizens with settled status, while approximately 85 per cent of workers staying on-site this year had previously worked at the farm. Co-managin

A container ship’s arrival in the UK after travelling from China through Arctic waters could mark the start of a regular route to Europe and an alternative to the Suez Canal, including the possibility of faster supply chains for temperature-sensitive goods. The Dubai Tower reached Teesport in northeast England on Wednesday (9 September), following its landmark voyage from Ningbo Zhoushan Port in eastern China on 15 August, reports The Independent. Originally, the vessel, whi

Britain's declining food self-sufficiency has prompted renewed calls to strengthen domestic production, while the Fresh Produce Consortium's warnings about global supply risks underline the importance of protecting access to overseas sources. New NFU analysis, published on Back British Farming Day, reveals that UK self-sufficiency fell in 10 of the 11 food commodities examined between 1995 and 2024. The union is urging ministers to set ambitious targets for homegrown food. Fr

Brexit is costing Britain an estimated £11.7 billion a year in lost exports, according to new figures that have intensified calls for the UK to rebuild closer trading ties with the European Union. Analysis from Logistics UK, reported by The Independent, estimates that the export revenue lost compared with 2019 is equivalent to approximately £400 for every UK household each year. The trade body, which represents freight and logistics businesses, said UK goods exports by tonnag

The government is being urged to invest in a major expansion of UK horticulture as heavy reliance on imported fruits and vegetables is leaving the country increasingly exposed to climate-driven supply disruptions and potentially higher prices, according to The Food Foundation. A new report from the organisation, titled ‘Farming for 5-a-day: how resilient is the UK’s supply of fruit, veg and beans in a changing climate’, warns that the UK is importing healthy staple foods from

Britain’s fresh produce and food supply chains could gain a stronger voice at the heart of government following the formal addition of logistics to a Department for Transport ministerial portfolio. Keir Mather MP has become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation, Maritime and Logistics, giving the sector an explicitly named minister after years of lobbying by freight and transport organisations. Although logistics already fell partly within Mather’s responsibilit

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reportedly been handed a new post-Brexit proposal that would take Britain far beyond the modest "Reset" currently on the table and its one that could see the UK rejoin the EU's single market for goods altogether. According to The Telegraph, the plan was drawn up by Nick Boles, the former Conservative MP who quit the party in 2019 and went on to help Sir Keir Starmer prepare for government. It calls for Britain to push for the creation of a "Eur

New research has confirmed what the fresh produce sector has been warning for months: the risks facing Britain's food system are mounting, and government policy is not keeping pace. IGD's first resilience survey, part of its third annual report Thriving in a Volatile World, found that 91% of food industry leaders and academics believe the risks facing the UK food system have increased over the past year. Geopolitics topped the list of threats over the next five years, followe

The Fresh Produce Consortium has thrown its full weight behind keeping Britain's global fresh produce supply open and affordable — and it's asking the industry to help finish the job. Its interactive UK-EU Reset Action Pack, now live, gives every business a fast, practical way to make its voice heard before decisions are locked in. Few issues cut closer to the heart of what this industry does every day than the UK-EU Reset. Behind the policy language sits a simple question: w

A new United Nations report has found that the EU's own farm subsidy system has driven up the price of fruit and vegetables, making healthy diets harder to afford across Europe. The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) says the finding lands at exactly the wrong moment for the UK-EU Reset — which would layer EU-style border checks onto Rest of World fresh produce, adding cost and friction to the very foods the UN says Europe most needs to make cheaper. According to the FAO's annual

In one of the first industry interventions of Andy Burnham’s premiership, the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) has written to the Prime Minister today urging him to make fresh produce part of his cost-of-living fight — by scrapping an avoidable plan that would add more than £300 million a year to the cost of the fruit, vegetables and flowers Britain imports from beyond Europe. At issue is the UK–EU Reset. As drafted, it would impose EU-style border controls on Rest of World fre

Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports are generating greater returns across Europe despite falling shipment volumes – a trend that could increase cost and availability pressures for UK importers, retailers and consumers. Exports to the EU were worth €6.596 billion during the first four months of 2026, an increase of 5.7% compared with the same period last year. However, volumes fell by 3.4% to 3.7 million tonnes, according to Spanish Customs and Excise data processed by F

Andy Burnham has pledged to put the cost of living “front and centre” of his government, with a package of measures expected within days of him becoming Prime Minister. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who is due to take office on Monday (20 July), has promised to provide households and businesses with greater “breathing space” as they continue to face pressure from energy, water, transport and other essential costs. According to The Telegraph, the planned package is expe

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has warned that reviving Britain’s faltering economy must become a central priority for the incoming Government, as businesses contend with sluggish demand, rising energy costs and renewed inflationary pressure. Appearing before MPs on the Treasury Committee, Bailey said the UK’s fundamental economic challenge was its persistent lack of growth, describing the problem as a structural weakness that had developed over almost two decades. “T

Labour is being urged to place farming and rural businesses at the heart of its economic plans, after new research suggested that closing England’s rural productivity gap could generate an additional £22.5 billion in economic output. The report, The Future of the Rural Economy, was produced by the Labour Rural Research Group in partnership with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). It argues that rural communities are too often treated as peripheral, despite their

The UK government is under growing pressure to compensate ports and fresh produce businesses for post-Brexit border infrastructure now...