A trip worth making…
I was fortunate enough to be on the steering committee of Flowers from the Farm, over the past year. So, for selfish reasons, I was kicking myself that we had decided to hold the annual conference just north of Nottingham! By the end of the conference, as Bek and I headed back to Kent in the Blooming Green van, I decided that we would have driven even further if we’d known what a brilliant event it was going to be. The whole event was a massive boost for growers and florists who love British flowers.
An amazing line-up of speakers
The programme was not entirely a surprise to me and I knew who was due to speak — and a little bit about each one. But that did not prepare me fully. First up was Professor David Bek who is co-lead of the Sustainable Flowers Research Project, along with Dr Jill Timms. It was great to see and hear some hard facts about British flowers and the floral industry, both in the UK and abroad. He raised some really interesting points.
Just what have imported flowers been sprayed with? We just don’t know…
First up, was that currently, no chemical testing is carried out on bouquets of imported flowers, sold in UK stores. Well-known brands, who sell flower bouquets alongside their organic, locally produced, highly regulated food products have no idea what the flowers they are selling have been treated with… In most cases, if coming from Africa and Central America, they will have been regularly sprayed with chemicals that are illegal in this country. That’s not to mention what happens to them at the airport / warehouse. After a recent, ground-breaking case in France, a florist has proved that pesticides were the likely cause of her daughter’s cancer and subsequent death. Makes you think, doesn’t it?!
We need to start collecting data
He outlined the gradual increase in popularity of locally grown / British flowers but also emphasised the need for British flower growers to work together and to gather data that would help the sector expand. It was interesting too, to see the percentage of cut-flowers sold by each retailer and to hear that two of the best known ‘letterbox’ flower sellers make their profits not from the flower they sell but from the data they collect! Eek!
Next up was Minette Batters, former president of the NFU
After David Bek came Minette Batters or, more formally — Baroness Batters of Downton — who has recently stepped down as the first woman president of the National Farmers’ Union and decided to start growing British flowers. Bek and I are both from farming families and I, at least, had slightly preconceived ideas of what Minette Batter might be like. Not that they were especially negative but I was blown away by her intelligence, level-headedness and candour. In her six years as president of the organisation, she worked with four prime ministers. This not only gave her plenty of leverage it also provided her with some great anecdotes, from Boris Johnson narrowly avoiding a lamb crapping on his lap to Liz Truss’s stupendous gaffes.
Then a surprisingly interesting AGM!
It was then time for the AGM, which could have been a very dry affair but which was livened up by the introduction of the incredible new Flowers from the Farm board and speeches from members of the Diversity Action Group. There was a lot of excitement and emotion in the room… and it was great to mingle after the AGM and chat to old and new friends alike at the evening’s dinner.
Saturday promised — and delivered — an amazing line-up of speakers
The Saturday promised an excellent line-up, though once again I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d heard great things about Roisin Taylor of the Verde Flower Company in Newcastle but hadn’t imagined quite such a whirlwind of intelligence, honesty, enthusiasm… and dedication. Roisin gained a Nuffield scholarship to study climate change adaptation for British flower growers and, as well as completing her research project, has set up the British Cut Flowers Association, to support grower across the sector, from larger-scale conventional flower farmers to smaller growers. Watch this space — this is a woman on a mission! (And what a great one too).
Next up was Cel Robertson, who doesn’t pull any punches (in a good way)
Meeting Cel Robertson, of the Forever Green Flower Company, was also a treat… not only socially, but also sitting in on her ‘break-out session’ on how to run a profitable British flower business. Her talk ‘you can’t do the green in the red’ pulled no punches and there were a few slightly downcast faces in the audience. But, those of us who have been in the business for a while owe it to aspiring flower growers, to tell the truth. It may look easy, but there is a lot more to being a florist-grower than just throwing seeds on the ground and sitting back. She also pointed out, that if we want the government and other ‘bodies’ to take the sector seriously, we have to be able to prove that it generates revenue. So, more focus on collecting data from Flowers from the Farm members and also analysing our own data so that we can figure out what to grow and what not to grow! If you want to find more about Cel, check her out on Monty Don’s British Gardens, where she appeared recently with our old mucker, Monty Don.
My plan to heckle Bek did not go to plan… Instead I just sat quietly and felt very proud
Bek joined Jo Wright from Organic Blooms (and Countryfile fame) to talk about ‘future-proofing, crop-planning and climate change and, did an amazing job even though I say so myself — though I am slightly biased. Whereas Roisin looked at the bigger picture, both in the UK and globally, Jo and Bek focussed on what you can do on your own flower plot to have the best chance of a succession of high quality flowers as well as a thriving eco system and healthy soil.
Georgie Newbery kept the show on the road and shared some fantastic insights
Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers did a brilliant job of introducing everyone and keeping things running on time. We sadly missed her initial talk — having met with traffic issues on the way up to Nottingham — but we enjoyed her comments during conference, and her excellent summing up. Her observations included: there is power in numbers and collaboration, that we need to business-like if we are to be recognised and respected as an industry… and that we need to think creatively if our businesses are to flourish…
We left feeling uplifted, inspired and a part of something amazing
I think the expression is a ‘shot in the arm’! Either way, Bek and I jabbered the whole way home about what a brilliant and inspiring event it had been, the incredible people we had met and also the amazing work that has been going on behind the scenes to re-shape Flowers from the Farm, turn it into a trade association and figure out its trajectory. And that’s not to mention all the hard work that went into organising the conference. Onwards and upwards for British flower-growers and florists! There is too much to cover here, in one blog post, so we will be revisiting some of the key issues in further blogs