Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, visited Fen Peas to show support for Producer Organisations (POs), as anger mounts over the UK Government’s decision to axe the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme without replacement.
Stephen Francis, Managing Director of Fen Peas Ltd and long-time supplier of British peas for freezing, is one of many POs across the UK now facing major disruption and job insecurity after the abrupt end of the matched funding scheme. The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, which supported collaboration between growers, strengthened domestic supply chains and helped safeguard UK food security, will come to an end in England and Wales later this year, with nothing meaningful put in its place.
While growers in Scotland and Northern Ireland will continue to receive support through existing schemes, horticulture in England and Wales has been left in a policy vacuum. This refusal to introduce a replacement programme leaves growers at a serious competitive disadvantage and puts the nation’s food security at risk.
“This is a crisis of the Government’s own making,” said Richard Tice ahead of the visit. “Ministers are leaving British growers exposed while claiming to care about food security. They have pulled the plug on our producers without a plan. That’s not levelling up, that’s letting down.”
Reform UK’s Richard Tice demands immediate action, claiming ministers are turning their backs on British growers while the country faces a fresh produce crisis.
“It is a complete betrayal,” said Tice. “The Government has scrapped a scheme that worked and is now standing by as British growers go to the wall. We need proper backing for Producer Organisations, or we will end up importing even more food while British farms shut down.”
The visit is backed by the newly formed UK Fruit and Vegetable Association (UKFVA), which has been launched to rally support for growers and campaign for urgent Government intervention. The Association warns that the loss of the scheme threatens thousands of jobs, weakens UK food security and risks reversing the progress made by POs to increase domestic fruit and vegetable production.
“This is not just a farming issue, it is about the nation’s food supply,” said UKFVA spokesperson Patrick Bastow. “While ministers talk about economic growth and food security, their actions are doing the opposite.”
“This is not about handouts, it is about common sense,” Bastow added. “POs are efficient, collaborative and have already contributed nearly £3 billion to domestic fruit and vegetable production.”
The visit follows the Spending Review and comes ahead of key decisions on future funding for the horticultural sector.
