FINDING A unique selling point for a product like fresh soft fruit might seem difficult but an Arbroath firm has managed not only to create a new niche but also to win a major accolade, writes Ewan Pate, farming editor.

Angus Soft Fruits Ltd recently took top place in the Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards for its Good Natured Fruit (GNF) range of strawberries and raspberries. The fruit is not organic but is produced without pesticides.

“Extensive research had shown that consumers were interested in buying fruit which had not been treated with pesticides and would pay extra without having to pay the full premium that would be needed for organic fruit,” said ASF Ltd chief executive Lochy Porter.

The company sells fruit on behalf of 24 growers in Angus, Perthshire and Fife and now has an annual turnover of £66 million, a 20% increase on the year. Last year Good Natured Fruit sales totalled 1000 tonnes and this season that figure should be doubled and will account for 25-30% of the tonnage handled.

Mr Porter has a major commitment to soft fruit on his own farm, growing 140 acres at East Seaton in fields surrounding the ASF packhouse. Most of the acreage is in protected cropping of raspberries, strawberries and blackberries but he has also been establishing sizeable outdoor plantations of blueberries.

“It has been a case of teamwork within the organisation over the last four years to develop the techniques needed to grow GNF. It hasn’t been easy to do and involves taking a more holistic approach to growing by focusing on the needs of each plant rather than taking a blanket approach to applying pesticides.

“It obviously means a saving in the cost of chemicals but it does involve people to a much greater extent.”

Observation is vital and every day the team of three agronomists employed at East Seaton walk through each polytunnel looking for signs of insect damage on individual plants.

If aphids are found in any numbers a small green flag is stuck in the “hot spot” to indicate where action has to be taken. Similarly a red flag is used if red spider mite is found. Commercially sourced predator insects are then introduced as required and over a matter of days they should reduce the pest numbers and stop any further spread.

Fungal diseases can be a major problem in a Scottish climate and conventional wisdom would say that control of grey mould and mildew can be achieved only by using an intensive spray programme.

Although obviously reluctant to disclose too many details for commercial reasons, Mr Porter said, “We believe we can control these diseases by building up the plant’s natural defences, say by using foliar feeds. Growing in poly-tunnels keeps foliage and fruit dry and there are opportunities to control ventilation and the growing environment.”

The strawberries at East Seaton are grown either in soil or on “table top” systems using staging and peat bags. Whereas in the past field-grown fruit might have yielded two to three tonnes per acre, the covered crop can now produce 10 tonnes per acre and the most intensive systems around 20 tonnes per acre in a season running from May to September.

“We are now having a dialogue with our suppliers in Holland and Spain who produce out of season fruit to see if GNF techniques will work there,” said Mr Porter.

Of course no matter where the fruit is grown it has to be picked and this has become a major concern for Scottish growers with the reduction in numbers of foreign students allowed through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme. Whereas previously students from Ukraine and Russia were included, now the scheme is effectively restricted to Bulgarians and Romanians.

Mr Porter, who employs 350 seasonal workers, said, “It is crazy not to allow in non-EU nationals such as the Ukranians. We have not been able to employ good hard workers who are very keen to come. The SAWS scheme has a very good record with students coming to work for the summer and then going home again and shouldn’t be compared with longer-term immigration.”

The labour situation may well be the restricting factor in further increasing soft fruit production in Scotland whether it is Good Natured Fruit or the more conventionally grown types.