Achieving Biosecurity Targets
Achieving Biosecurity Targets
The Horticultural Trade Association (HTA) is urging the UK Government to recognise the need to boost the number of ornamental growers if they are to achieve their ambitious biosecurity goals.
HTA’s Ornamental Management Committee (OMC) said an increase in ornamental growers was vital to help ensure enough plants and trees are produced domestically to underwrite the Government’s plans for climate change mitigation.
30,000 Hectares
The call was made at last month’s OMC committee meeting (July) where members agreed that an uplift towards a strong and vibrant horticultural industry is required to support the Government’s ambitions.
These include increasing annual tree-planting rates to 30,000 hectares per year across the UK. As part of this, the OMC also said the benefits of urban tree growing must not be overlooked.
E-Learning Programme.
To help accelerate planting and growing, the committee highlighted apprenticeship programmes and the HTA’s new e-learning programme for growers 'Basic Principles of Ornamental Nursery Management', as a real opportunity for increasing productivity and capacity.
*Image (top right) www.farplants.co.uk