Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, Fruit Focus has shifted to an online format to be held at www.fruitfocus.co.uk on 9-10 September 2020. Fruit Focus LIVE will bring together expert speakers, researchers and companies related to the field for two days of live webinars, Q&As and new product innovations. Fruit Focus LIVE will explore valuable solutions and opportunities for fruit growers and the supporting community.
In follow up to the Day One schedule previously released, the morning of Day Two of Fruit Focus LIVE includes a series of live webinars that address the macro issues that fruit growers and the supporting community are dealing with in a rapidly changing environment.
At 9:30am 10 September, the NFU Fruit Forum webinars will begin with “Brexit: 2021 labour and preparing for the end of the transition period” presented by Ali Capper, NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chairman; Tom Bradshaw, NFU Vice President and Nick von Westenholz, NFU Director of EU Exit and International Trade. As the transition period nears an end, the panel will discuss the latest situation for recruiting seasonal workers, implications for trade friction, and how horticultural businesses are preparing for 2021. Hear from industry experts and growers about what this means for the sector and ask questions about how to navigate the months ahead.
At 11:00am 10 September, the NFU Fruit Forums will continue with “COVID 19: Lessons learned for the horticulture sector.” This will be a review of the challenges faced by the sector in recruiting workers, cost impacts, minimising the risks of an outbreak on farm and what to do if an outbreak is identified. Presenters will include Lee Abbey, NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Chief Adviser; Ali Capper, NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chairman; Beverly Dixon, Group HR Director for G’s Fresh and Jimmy Davies, Director for Pro-Force.
The morning NFU Fruit Forums will be followed up by an “Energy Market Update for Growers” presented by Richard Palmer of Roadnight Taylor Power & Energy Consultancy. This webinar will cover the current energy market and price trends as the market moves through a complex transitional period. There will be a focus on how growers can introduce flexibility in their energy strategy to reduce costs and cut energy price risks. Particularly for cold storage and other energy intensive operations, the webinar will cover how implementing renewable generation such as solar, batteries or other forms of energy storage such as vehicle-to-grid, changing how and when electricity is used on site, time-of use-tariffs and the underlying supply contract can unlock the value in behind-the-meter energy opportunities.
The afternoon of Day Two will continue with technical advances and product innovations that will help growers produce higher yields in the future.
Fruit Focus LIVE offers an opportunity to network with leading exhibitors within the industry, a sample of the exhibitors with a virtual stand at the online event are; Agri-Tech Services on stand 606, Engage Agro on stand 306 and the University of Hertfordshire on stand 226.
This year’s Fruit Focus LIVE official sponsors are as follows; Botanicoir are Headline Sponsor, Fargro are BASIS Sponsor, NFU sponsoring the Fruit Forum, Berry Gardens are Registration Sponsor, Farmable Proseal and Fieldmargin are sponsoring webinars.
