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The owner of Ribena is to invest £200,000 in helping blackcurrant bushes withstand stress after extreme weather put a squeeze on this year’s UK harvest.
That harvest is now under way in the berry’s main growing regions including East Anglia, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Kent and Scotland. It is expected to be about 10% below the average of 10,000 tonnes, as the climate crisis drives extreme weather across Britain and elsewhere.
Growers said crops had been hit by one of the wettest winters on record for parts of the UK, which held back pruning and weeding, followed by localised frosts and hail during spring.
The heatwaves in June and July then caused scorching and prompted some berries to drop prematurely. The lack of rain in many areas, with little more expected before the harvest finishes in early August, is also producing smaller fruits.
Soft fruit growers said some fruits, such as blueberries and grapes, were benefiting from the extra heat but others such as strawberries could struggle to last into the autumn as overheated plants came under stress. Some crops such as leafy vegetables, potatoes, wheat and barley are also likely to be affected by the hot dry spell.
Last year, a long period of hot weather and drought caused berry crops to ripen a fortnight earlier than usual. Vegetables that require a lot of water such as carrots, potatoes and brassicas also struggled in the heat.
Harriet Prosser, an agronomist at Suntory Beverage & Food, which owns Ribena, said: “Every year, there seems to be another weather record. Following last year’s drought, growers have experienced one of the wettest winters on record, localised frosts and hail during spring, and now intense summer heat. It has been an exceptionally challenging season for blackcurrant bushes.”
Jo Hilditch, the chair of the Blackcurrant Foundation trade association and a grower from Herefordshire, said the group was investing alongside Suntory and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Niab) in practical research that would help growers build healthier soils and more resilient crops. “It’s about ensuring British blackcurrant production continues to thrive for generations to come,” she said.
“As growers, we’re incredibly resilient, but there’s no doubt we’re farming in a very different climate from even a decade ago. Every season now seems to bring a new challenge, whether it’s prolonged wet weather, late frosts or intense summer heat,” Hilditch added.
She said that even in her relatively rainy part of Britain, she might have to install reservoirs and irrigation to cope with long dry spells.
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Farmers have already been working with Suntory on developing new varieties of blackcurrant that could produce more fruit without the need for long spells of cold weather in the winter, because of global heating.
A collaborative research programme with Niab at East Malling in Kent will investigate how improving soil health can help blackcurrant bushes better withstand periods of environmental stress.
The project will evaluate the use of organic soil additions such as wool, pasteurised manures and green waste products to improve soil organic matter, moisture retention and nutrient cycling.
Researchers will assess how these elements might help soil health, plant establishment, bush vigour, yield and berry quality to identify the most effective approaches for improving resilience across UK blackcurrant production.
