English Apples & Pears has unveiled a robust, new growth strategy as they marked the official start of the 2018 Great British Apples season.

As the industry came together to celebrate this important time of year, EAP launched its first ever film which set out an ambitious vision that 60% of all apples on shelf in UK supermarkets will be British by 2030.

This short film is now available to watch here

The six-point plan includes the following:

Ali Capper, EAP Executive Chair, on Immigration #1

“Our first priority is to work with Government to secure the immigration policies that we need. While the SAWS pilot is a step in the right direction, we urge the Government to consider a larger scale solution. What we want is the same as every other EU country – access to the right number of non-EU seasonal agricultural workers. Without them, we won’t be able to continue growing, picking and packing our British apples.”

Sarah Calcutt, EAP Operations Director, on Match Funded Investment Schemes #2

“We want Government to commit to an on-going match funded investment scheme for this sector. This will allow us to invest in new technology, new varieties and to continue to adopt new growing systems.”

Chris Baker, Wye Fruit apple grower, on Modern Farming Techniques #3

“As part of EAP’s growth plan, we will continue to invest in new, advanced approaches to enable us to grow more of the best tasting apples in the world and deliver significant environmental benefits at the same time.”

James Simpson, EAP Board Member, apple grower and Adrian Scripps’ managing director, on New Technologies #4

“There are four key areas for investment in technology within our industry. The first being pest and disease monitoring, particularly with mildew and scab. The second being crop estimation and automatic crop load assessment in an orchard. The third being harvesting, either automated or robotic, and the fourth being automation and robotics in the packing facility. Overall the industry needs to continue to invest in environmentally-friendly technologies that will improve productivity and efficiency, maintaining the great quality of our product and helping us to achieve our growth targets.”

Robert Rendall, EAP Promotional Committee Member and Peake Fruit apple grower, on delivering what consumers want #5

“We look at consumer trends and we know that generally people want red, juicy, crunchy and sweet apples. Growers are continuing to invest in new orchards and new varieties in order to deliver that uniquely delicious Great British apple. We need Government to deliver bespoke R&D funding in order to speed up that investment, helping us to grow more of the apples that people want.”

Sarah Calcutt, EAP Operations Director, on Marketing Communication #6

“In 2017 we shook up our communications and we created a new and modern identity with a consumer campaign to make sure Great British apples are making noise in the news year-round. This campaign will continue to deliver a consistent message that British apples are high quality. They’re affordable and, thanks to our maritime climate, taste better than apples from anywhere else. The apple is the best snack on the move, healthy, delicious and mobile.”