Innovations and ideas to be showcased at Fruit Focus 2025

Held at NIAB’s East Malling Research Station in Kent on 9th July, the event will showcase new technology as well as host working machinery demonstrations and share agronomic advice and business information.

Bringing together more than 1,500 visitors and over 100 exhibitors from the fresh fruit sector and wine making/viticulture, the show will allow people in the industry to connect with leading product and service providers, alongside networking and exchanging knowledge.

Scott Raffle, knowledge exchange manager at NIAB, said: “NIAB is once again delighted to be hosting Fruit Focus at our East Malling site.

“It allows everyone to visit the UK’s longest-established fruit research centre to learn more about the work we are doing to support the industry.”

There will be a wide variety of NIAB specialist research tours taking place throughout the day, including visits to the Produce Quality Centre, Research Vineyard and Plum Research Orchard, said Mr Raffle.

“There will also be tours to find out about our research on precision orchard management and the use of hoverflies for aphid control.”

What’s on

A special tour of the NIAB stand will inform visitors of research into the use of bait sprays for pest control, coir recycling, brown marmorated stink bug monitoring and strawberry decontamination to improve shelf-life.

“This will be the first year that visitors will have the chance to visit our growth rooms to learn more about how our crop scientists are working to produce higher yields of strawberries with fewer inputs (using vertical farming systems) to improve sustainability of production. We will also exhibit a new system of non-invasive disease detection in cherries,” the NIAB expert added.

Another research tour will include presentations on improving raspberry propagation, genetic research to support commercial soft fruit breeding programmes, and managing the strawberry cool-chain.

Once again, the popular NFU Fruit Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss and debate key issues, challenges and developments within the fruit industry.

For those looking out for the latest innovations, live demonstrations will include autonomous equipment and robotics to ease labour issues and improve fruit quality.

The opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues, as well as connect with new industry contacts at the afternoon networking reception, should not be missed. It will be held on the lawn near NP Seymour’s stand between 3pm and 5pm, offering a selection of British wine, fruit and cheese, plus music by special guest, Irie J.

For those looking to earn CPD points, there will be the chance to collect BASIS and NRoSO points throughout the event.

Not only will those registered with the organisations collect six points for attending Fruit Focus, but two points can be allocated by presenting membership cards at the relevant stand, with further points collected through the Knowledge Trails.

For more information or to book tickets and exhibition stands, visit the Fruit Focus website.

Read more fruit news.