Call to "guarantee" garden centres will be among the first to re-open

Garden centres have had to close to the public

The importance of the ornamental sector has been brought to the fore this week with calls for retailers to rebuild their stocks of British flowers and plants and for the Government to consider re-opening garden centres.

An open letter from NFU President Minette Batters with horticulture and potatoes board chairman Ali Capper applauded retailers’ quick response to the change in consumer buying with the focus having been on providing essential food supplies.

But they also asked, now food provision is beginning to stabilise, for much-needed support in the ornamental sector. The rallying cry to retailers comes as part of a wider support plan to help the ornamentals sector which has been feeling the impact of key outlet closures such as garden centres, florists and public events due to the pandemic.

In a list of ‘asks’ for the Government to support the sector, the NFU is requesting a “guarantee” that garden centres will be among the first businesses allowed to re-open under a phased exit of the lockdown.

But Baroness McIntosh of Pickering said she hoped the re-opening of garden centres and nurseries, with the appropriate guidelines implemented, would be considered.

“As nurseries can adapt to the social distancing rules probably better than most other businesses and given the seasonality of their produce, I hope NHS England and Defra will urgently allow them to re-open,” she said.

“Flowers and plants have a huge role in our national life not just for promoting wellbeing which is particularly needed at this time of acute isolation but also their biodiversity role,” she said.

Baroness McIntosh also highlighted the “huge” contribution nurseries made to the rural economy with the horticultural sector, particularly the ornamental sector, contributing £24m to the national economy without any support.

But in the meantime, the NFU has urged retailers who are open to do all they can to support businesses which have suddenly been left without any of their key outlets.

“Since the start of lockdown our supermarkets have been rightly focused on ensuring the public has access to essential foods and products during the coronavirus outbreak,” Mrs Batters said.

“We are now in a period where food sales have stabilised, and we ask that retailers restock British flowers and plants.