British Berry Sector Delivers Sustainability Breakthroughs Amid Growing Pressures

The UK’s commercial berry sector is showcasing notable strides in sustainability, with a new industry report detailing improvements across water use, carbon emissions, biodiversity, innovation and packaging.

The findings suggest growers are investing heavily to make berry production more climate-resilient and efficient — although pressures on costs and labour persist.

The report, published by British Berry Growers (BBG) and compiled by Collison & Associates, canvassed growers accounting for more than half of the UK’s berry output. BBG represents about 95 per cent of the country’s commercial soft fruit producers.

Key Sustainability Metrics

Some of the headline metrics in the report include:

• Water stewardship: 100 per cent of surveyed growers monitor water quality and maintain efficiency plans; 61 per cent use on-farm reservoirs or rainwater harvesting. Over the past three years, 65 per cent of farms say they have reduced water usage by an average of 16 per cent.

  
  

• Carbon & energy management: 96 per cent of growers track carbon footprints; 70 per cent have already taken active steps to reduce emissions and energy use via precision irrigation and renewable energy deployment.

  
  

• Biodiversity & crop protection: Nearly two-thirds of crop protection spending is now on biologicals or biopesticides. All growers support biodiversity: 96 per cent plant wildflower strips, 61 per cent have created ponds or wetlands.

  
  

• Circular economy & packaging: 96 per cent of growers report reducing plastic use; 78 per cent recycle tunnel films. Meanwhile, 74 per cent have lightened their plastic punnets, and more growers are exploring plastic-free formats.

  
  

• Innovation & digital adoption: 91 per cent of growers are now using digital systems, including AI-driven monitoring, decision support tools and automation. New breeding programmes are also in place to deliver climate-resilient berry varieties.

Dr Louise Sutherland, BBG’s director of research and development, summarised the sector’s progress, saying: “Ethical and sustainable farming practices are at the heart of British berry production. This report shows our growers are innovating and investing at every stage to deliver healthy berries responsibly and sustainably.”

Nick Marston, executive chair of BBG, added: “British berries are among the most sustainable and nutritious fruits we can eat. As the UK tackles climate change and poor nutrition, supporting homegrown berry production has never been more important.”

Since 2012, the UK berry sector has grown by about 78 per cent — a sign of rising demand and capacity expansion, despite cost pressures.

Headwinds: Costs, Labour & Market Power

While these sustainability gains are undeniably impressive, the sector is not without serious challenges behind the scenes.

A prior BBG‐commissioned survey highlighted that two-fifths of British strawberry and raspberry growers could go out of business by end of 2026, citing escalating production costs and weak returns from retailers. Almost half of growers reported they were no longer making a profit, and 53 per cent rated their financial health as “bad or very bad.”

Nick Marston warned: “We must take this survey as a wake-up call and a sign to take urgent action. The future of this great sector hangs in the balance. It would be a travesty to lose British berries.”

Growers have long called for reforms such as longer visas for seasonal workers (extending from six to nine months), more transparent and fair retailer contracts, and better policy support.

Other constraints include local planning and compliance burdens — which can slow investments in controlled environments or automation — and water scarcity in some regions, especially the south-east of England.

Outlook & Policy Implications

The sustainability report sends a strong signal that the UK berry sector is not only willing but capable of raising environmental standards. For processors, retailers and policymakers, it offers a data-rich foundation for aligning future strategies with measurable climate and biodiversity goals.

Yet, for these gains to be sustained, growers will need more predictable margins, better labour frameworks, and a policy environment that supports — rather than hinders — technological innovation.

In a sector already expanding rapidly, the next phase may well hinge less on “if” further improvements come, and more on “which growers survive to deliver them.”