Soft fruit growers in the pink after two years of washout

Tens of thousands of strawberries are grown here at the 100-acre Bruce Farms of Meigle and many have already been picked, packed and dispatched to supermarkets across Scotland, England and Wales.

This rosy picture provided a snapshot of the Scottish industry earlier this week, and appeared to indicate it is in the pink once again after two years of poor weather and disappointing crops.

The catastrophic storms of May 23, 2011, saw winds of up to 100mph uproot hundreds of acres of polytunnels, leaving the fruit exposed to the elements just as they were starting to ripen; and last year's early start to spring – with two weeks of good weather in March –was followed by months of cold and rain, with a resultant drop in both demand and yield.

This fuelled fears climate change would cripple the 100- year-old, world-famous industry that spans Fife, Tayside, Perthshire and Aberdeenshire and is worth £94 million.

More than one-third of the UK's soft fruit production is in Scotland, with supermarkets throughout the UK their biggest customers. Quick turnaround from field to fork is vital with soft fruit, whose shelf-life is relatively short.

Demand for Scottish berries, which have a distinctive flavour because they ripen more slowly than in hotter climates, is unprecedented – a dramatic turnaround from the 1980s, when the industry went into decline as a result of competition from cheaper imports from Eastern Europe.

Pressure to extend the season is, however, intense.

This year, after a slow start that pushed back the start of the growing season by about three weeks, fruit is ripening fast and commercial targets are being met.

"You could say we're back in business and we're really happy," said Geoff Bruce, who has been growing soft fruit on his fourth-generation family farm since 1997 and has doubled his output to 550 tonnes in a decade.

"We may be a few days late but everything will come into sync as it should do – there is nothing to indicate things will not take their natural course."

From Monday, the independent farm's strawberries and raspberries will be available under the Scotty Brand label in Asda supermarkets nationwide, Morrisons stores in Scotland and Dobbies Garden Centres in England, and the season will last until around the end of September. The farm is also one of four Scottish suppliers of blackcurrants to Ribena.

However, John Gray of Angus Growers, a co-operative of 20 farms supplying about 10,000 tonnes of berries to Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, the Co-op, Asda and Aldi nationwide from March to November, adds a note of caution.

"It's been more down than up, and this week it was down," he said. "The good weather in Scotland may have pushed up consumer demand for strawberries and raspberries locally, but that was not reflected south of the Border, where the weather was overcast and even wet, resulting in a drop in demand of around 30%." The soft fruit industry is, he added, entirely dependant on the weather, less because of its effect on crops than its effect on consumer demand.

He added that since the season is late, the industry could be heading for a glut. He said: "The next three weeks is crucial because we're going to see strong availability of fruit.

"We're hoping for good weather during Wimbledon fortnight. If the sun shines, it will be happy days. But the last time we had a really good season was 2006."

For consumers this can only be good news, as attractive deals in the shops are likely to be commonplace, with 1kg or 600g punnets priced at about £1.99.

With the market fairly static, and conditions remaining fragile, complacency is not an option. All growers are striving to increase their yields and shelf-life, while retaining consistency of supply, shape, and flavour. Breeding new varieties that can meet these criteria is ongoing on farms across the region.

Soft fruit growing is becoming an ever more scientific process, with high-tech polytunnels now commonplace – a dramatic change from 15 years ago, when everything was left to nature. The height of the tunnels can be adjusted to intensify or reduce heat and humidity. At Bruce Farms, each grow bag is inserted with a probe that transmits information about moisture levels and water Ph quality to a central computer that, together with information on humidity levels within the tunnel microclimate, is constantly monitored remotely and adjusted if necessary in order to maintain the best environment for the plants.

The grass under and between the growing tables in each tunnel is killed off to turn it into dry hay, so a dry atmosphere is retained: lush grass creates moisture, which turns into condensation on the inside walls of the tunnel. This can drip onto the fruit itself, impairing its growth. Cutting down on the use of chemicals is now de rigueur, with ladybirds used to devour the aphids, such as greenfly, that can destroy plants.

Angus Growers, which supplies two-thirds of Scotland's soft fruit, has launched a new pesticide-residue-free range under the Good Natured label in Asda and Morrisons, the co-operative is also about to launch a new strawberry variety called Ava Rosa, which has taken four years to produce.

Asked whether genetic modification is likely to feature in the industry, John Gray said: "No genetic modification is used to breed soft fruit in the UK as far as I'm aware. Soft fruit is not on the radar for GM.

"The impetus is to stick to traditional ways of growing, and reduce chemical intervention. If growing soft fruit was easy, everyone would be doing it."

Fruit facts

l Over the past 10 years the output value of soft fruit has increased by £74 million (361%) to £94 million in 2011.

l In 2011, strawberries accounted for £63 million (67%) of the overall value and raspberries £21 million (22%). Over the past 10 years the value of strawberries has increased by £47 million (290%). This was mostly due to a 14,000 tonne increase in production, along with an increase in average prices of £792 per tonne.

l The value of raspberries increased by £19 million (750%), mostly due to large increases in average prices, which jumped dramatically in 2003 and again in 2011. Production increased by 1100 tonnes over this period.

l In 2011, there was an increase in the output value of soft fruit of £6 million. This increase was mostly due to raspberries, where prices increased by £2162 per tonne.

Source: The Scottish Government