Tag Archives: British Leafy Salads Association

Lettuce supplies short due to heat

Lettuce growers in the UK and further afield have warned of shortages as the hot weather and lack of rain continue for the foreseeable future.

With this summer already being claimed as the hottest since 1976, wholesale prices for lettuce and some brassicas have spiked, while home-grown and imported fruit such as strawberries and melons are also attracting high prices.

“Cabbages and icebergs are suffering because they’re getting cooked in the field, prices are tremendously high. The price of lettuce has gone from £4.80 per box to £9.60,” Chris Hutchinson, owner of Arthur Hutchinson Ltd at New Spitalfields Market.

Spokesman for the British Leafy Salad Growers Association, Dieter Lloyd, said that record sales of 18 million heads of lettuce (a 40 per cent increase on the previous year) together with hot conditions which were preventing growth could lead to a shortage of the crop.

“While it is great news that leafy salad sales are up around 40 per cent across all retailers, that’s just half the story. The record temperatures have stopped the UK lettuce crop growing. When the mercury hits 30 degrees Celsius lettuces can’t grow,” he said. In all of the major growing areas, from Cupar in Fife, through Preston, Lancs, to Ely in East Anglia and Chichester, Sussex, the hot weather has affected all our growers and we may be seeing some gaps on retailers’ shelves in the next two weeks as the heat wave continues.”

The post Lettuce supplies short due to heat appeared first on Hort News on 9 July 2018.

Planning underway for NIAB salad trials

The British Leafy Salads Association (BLSA) says that planning is well underway for the forthcoming Leafy Salad Variety Trials which will be held at G’s Fresh, Barway Road, Barway, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5TZ on Wednesday 1st July 2015.

Aimed at BLSA and HDC members, the day includes three interactive workshops in the morning, with Peter White of Soil Moisture Sense talking about soil moisture monitoring, Tim Lacey of Bayer discussing modes of action and the use of biologicals and Chris Marrow of Elsoms talking about seed treatment technologies.

In the afternoon delegates will have the opportunity to visit over 70 variety plots demonstrated by representatives from key seed houses and will have the opportunity to ask them questions. There will also be a demonstration from Dr Robert Simmons of Cranfield University looking at soil structure and the ARTIS training team will be running a course taster quiz.

To register your attendance please contact Julie Foyster at the BLSA Office by email: julie.foyster@britishgrowers.org or telephone 01507 353792.

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New chair for Leafy Salads Association

After Graham Clarkson of Vitacress stepped down as Chairman of the British Leafy Salads Association in March, the Industry body that represents UK growers and packers of salads has appointed Valefresco Ltd’s Technical Manager, Jackie Harris, as its new Chairman.

Jackie brings with her more than 25 years of experience in fresh produce, in particular salads and herbs, having worked for some of the biggest names in the sector, including Organic Farm Foods, Lighthorne Herbs, Vitacress, VHB Herbs and Lincolnshire Herbs.

The Association hopes to benefit from Jackie’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in outdoor, protected and baby leaf crops. In her current role at Valefresco, Jackie manages the technical aspects of over 1000 acres of outdoor salads and more than 45 acres of protected cropping.

Commenting on her appointment, Jackie said, “I am delighted to have been elected as Chair. Since starting out in the business at the tender age of fourteen, working for a local market gardener, my passion for fresh produce has gone from strength to strength. Leafy salads is a vibrant industry and I’m looking forward to working alongside BLSA members and other organisations to further raise its profile to promote British salads and produce at every opportunity.”

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