ISHS Acta Horticulturae 347: II International Symposium on Integrated Fruit Production
PROGRESS TOWARDS INTEGRATED FRUIT PRODUCTION IN THE UK 1992 |
| Author: | J. Cross |
| Abstract:
Although IPM has been practised in UK apple and pear orchards for many years, the UK is a comparative late-comer to IFP. ADAS, the UK Government extension service, launched IFP guidelines in 1991. The UK guidelines conformed with the General Principles, Guidelines and Standards for Integrated Production of Pome Fruits at the IOBC/ISHS Joint Group except in one important respect: they permitted the use of post-harvest chemical treatment with an anti-oxidant for the control of superficial scald on the highly susceptible cultivar Bramley's Seedling. This was a short term measure and growers who wished to pursue IFP were required to construct suitable high quality storage facilities to overcome the need for anti-oxidant in the future. The IFP initiative was welcomed with enthusiasm by several large supermarkets, but elicited a strong adverse response from growers and marketing cooperatives. The latter felt the standards were too high and that the scheme would divide the market, putting non-IFP produced fruit at a disadvantage. In the first year 15 growers practised IFP, each in a small number of orchards largely on an experimental basis. They paid ADAS a fee of £250 ECU + £15 ECU/ha to make pre- and post-harvest inspections to ensure compliance with the standards. All but two passed and were issued with certificates allowing them to claim their fruit had been produced according to IFP standards. There is no UK IFP label. The quantity of fruit produced was too small for the individual growers to gain any marketing advantage, but one supermarket was prepared to offer a price premium. In 1992, the two largest UK fruit cooperatives, Home Grown Fruits and East Kent Packers, comprising over 50% of the UK industry, launched a quality assurance scheme drawn up in consultation with ADAS, which requires all their grower members to comply with seven standards. These standards require the grower to comply with all legislation and codes of practice relating to fruit production, practice Integrated Plant Protection, observe a three week harvest interval for pesticide use, minimise dose rates of pesticide application, assess the risk of storage rots and treat post-harvest only when necessary, monitor fruit quality in store and receive training about the requirements of the standards. The intention is to gradually, step by step, move towards IFP as far as is practically possible. | |
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