Strawberry-picking robots are being trialled on a farm in Essex in an attempt to solve labour shortages across the agricultural and horticultural industry.

The extra sunshine and hours of daylight over the last few months mean that British cherries will not only be bigger than in recent years but also sweeter and juicier.

Nine months into the current British apple and pear season, the competition for BAPL retailer of the year is hotting up. 

Good weather and careful irrigation ensured a great crop of Little Scarlet strawberries this year and an opportunity for a record pick during the Tiptree Strawberry Race.

Attendees at the WineGB Midlands and North ‘Waffle N Walk’ event at Rowton Vineyard in Shropshire had a chance to discover Fendt’s 200 V/F/P series, which was presented by the NP Seymour team. 

Robotics, automation, adoption of the latest agri-tech and sustainable fruit farming were amongst the topics covered at an event hosted by one of the UK’s largest producers of berries.

Vineyards across the South Downs are embracing climate action to produce glasses of fizz in more sustainable way. 

A four-month Berries of Scotland campaign has just launched with the aim to spread awareness of the heritage and impact of Scotland’s berry sector, which includes fruit farms of all shapes and sizes spread out from the Highlands all the way down the east coast.

In a bid to bring an extra income stream and something more exciting to his existing arable farm, a South Lincolnshire farmer, Tim Beaver, planted 20,000 vines across seven acres back in 2021. Since then, he also built a tasting barn and opened the vineyard for tours.

Ahead of English Wine Week 2025, tourism organisation Visit Essex has shared that the region has noted an increase in wine tourism.  

Lohas fertilisers are produced in the UK using enzyme technology to turn animal by-products into safe, low carbon fertilisers – with dramatic results for soil health on vineyards.

One of the oldest commercial vineyards in the UK, Astley Vineyard was established in the lush Severn Valley in Worcestershire in 1971 and features some unexpected grape varieties. Editor Rachel Hicks spoke to its current owners, the Haywood family, to find out more.