Fruit Articles

September 2025 will mark the start of the new British apple and pear season, and UK growers say that a dry growing season has not hampered the developing fruit. Instead, 2025 could be the best for quality and flavour for many years.  

The UK plum sector is bouncing back following an over 35-year-long decline, with production predicted to be the highest in three years.

Innocent Drinks has announced the grant recipients of its Farmer Innovation Fund for 2025. Nine winners have been selected to receive financial support for projects working to help safeguard the long-term supply of fruit and vegetable.  

The James Hutton Institute has just announced the successful breeding of the Scotland’s first blueberry at its Invergowrie site.

The UK’s blackcurrant harvest is already in full swing – two weeks earlier than usual – thanks to the warmest, driest spring on record.

As the UK government embarks on its ambitious 10-year health plan for England, the nation’s fruit and vegetable growers are calling on the health secretary Wes Streeting to put homegrown produce at the heart of the country’s health transformation. 

Scientists from the University of Kent are working with companies to transform wasted cherries into healthy, nutritious food ingredients and use seaweed waste to boost agricultural crop health and growth.  

Dorset Blueberry Company has a rich history, having introduced blueberries to the UK in the 1940s. Now, it exclusively supplies organic retailers, including Lush Cosmetics. Deputy editor Sarah Kidby spoke to David Trehane to find out more.

British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) has shared the results of two in-depth studies into the UK apple and pear orchard infrastructure.

Fruit for the Future, one of the James Hutton Institute’s most successful and longest-running industry events, will take place next week.  

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.