CALU – GWLAD – July 2005

Low cost protected cropping

Although there are moves to prevent the increased use of polytunnels, their role in fruit and vegetables production in Wales could reduce food miles and meet sustainability and environmental targets according to the Centre for Alternative Land Use (CALU). Sensitive siting in line with local planning policy can keep visual intrusion to a minimum.

Speaking on behalf of CALU, David Frost of ADAS Wales explained that by using low-cost polytunnel technology growers could reduce reliance on imported fruit and vegetables. Currently, about 80% of the total £191 million Welsh Market for fruit and vegetables is imported. “With climate change, we are seeing milder winters and warm summers which means that with appropriate technology we can grow more fresh produce here”, he says.

Polytunnels can extend the growing season and help keep pests at bay. Protected crops can be advanced by several weeks and marketable yields are higher.

“Although critics of polytunnels point to their landscape impact, they are still the most appropriate intermediate technology for expanding horticulture in Wales”, argues David Frost. “They make best use of available solar energy, they are relatively cheap, easy to erect and dismantle, and maximise the growers return per hectare”.

According to British Summer Fruits, prior to the introduction of polytunnels only 50% of soft fruit marketed was class 1 – now it is closer to 90%.

In the past, berry production struggled with unpredictable weather conditions and the resulting problems of damage and disease. Soft fruit crops such as strawberries and raspberries can easily become uneconomic if summer rain stops harvesting and spoils the berries. Since the introduction of the low cost and moveable ‘Spanish’ tunnel in 1993, soft fruit production has become a success story. Sales of homegrown berries in UK supermarkets have increased by 130% in the last four years and today 80% of soft fruit sold by supermarkets is from polytunnels.

As well as soft fruit, polytunnels offer valuable protection for spring crops such as lettuce and celery, long-season summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers, and winter salads and herbs. Low cost protection means that Welsh produce can be marketed throughout the year and at times when the market is usually dominated by imports.

David Frost, 23 May, 2005