MPs 'Sound the Alarm' as 'Last chance' for Action

A cross-party group of MPs has sounded the alarm ahead of the upcoming Autumn Budget — calling it the “last chance” for government action if the UK wants to continue supporting domestic fruit and vegetable producers.

Their warning comes as the UK Fruit and Veg Aid Scheme (UK-FVAS) and associated producer-organisation funding remain scheduled to end on 31 December 2025, with no confirmed replacement yet in sight.

In a letter addressed to the environment department, the group stresses that letting the scheme close without a successor would leave a “gaping hole” in support — jeopardising growers’ ability to invest in innovation, productivity and sustainability.

The UK-FVAS has, for decades, provided crucial matched-funding for producer organisations to improve systems, expand capacity and maintain UK-grown fresh produce yields. Its removal, MPs warn, risks undermining domestic production — threatening rural employment, increasing reliance on imports and putting pressure on food security at a time of global instability.

Industry representatives are urging the government to use the Autumn Budget as a critical moment to commit to a new, long-term funding scheme.

Without this, many growers could face a stark choice: scale back operations or, worse, shut up shop — a blow not just to growers, but to the entire supply chain and to Britain’s ability to grow its own food.

With just weeks remaining in 2025, the Autumn Budget isn’t just another fiscal event — it may well mark whether British fruit and veg production survives in a meaningful, sustainable way beyond next year.