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 Many farms, estates and old houses in Pembrokeshire would have traditionally had a small orchard on their land, with a mixture of fruit trees, ranging from apple, pear, quince to mulberry and even cobnuts. They played an important role in providing fruit for consumption, the production of cider and even as payment for farmhands. Many of these orchards have now either disappeared with the change in land use or are in decline as the knowledge and skills of maintaining them has become lost. |
The Pembrokeshire Growers' Association (PGA) in conjunction with PLANED, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, CALU (Centre for Alternative Land Use) and F.A.S.T Ltd (Farm Advisory Services Team) provided an exciting opportunity at the end of February 2007, for commercial growers, individuals and representatives from communities with orchards on their land, to come along and attend a free ‘Orchard Awareness Training Day’.
The morning session was held at the Broad Haven Youth Hostel and included talks from fruit tree experts who shared their experience on a range of orchard topics. Speakers included Tom Froggart (from the Marcher Apple Network)., Paul Davies (local fruit propagator) and Graham Moore (Fruit consultant for F.A.S.T) The afternoon session took place in the picturesque setting of the traditional orchard within the walled garden at St Brides, owned by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. Attendees had the opportunity to gain experience in the practical side of orchard management and pruning fruit trees and under the direct supervision of the fruit tree experts.
 ‘The training day provided an excellent opportunity for people to gain the knowledge and skills which will enable them to manage their own orchard and also to raise awareness of the importance of orchards and also to meet people with similar interests,’ said Nick Bean (Chairman of the Pembrokeshire Growers' Association). ‘As we see a growing interest in where food comes from and concern about how far it travels, orchards and fruit trees can play an important role in providing fruit for local communities’. Nick Bean concluded, ‘We would be interested in hearing from anyone who has an orchard in Pembrokeshire, this would help us gain an understanding of the number of orchards that are currently in Pembrokeshire and help us to identify future opportunities.’
An open discussion session, facilitated by PLANED, identified the interests of those who attended. These included:
- Developing outlets and markets – e.g. Cider production, Food Co-ops, Farmers’ Markets.
- Holding future training events - Including the design and planning of orchards, planting trees and cultivation, selecting varieties suitable for growing in Pembrokeshire, recognising disease, identification of fruit trees, fruit storing, processing and the utilisation of fruit.
- Identifying funding, grants and assistance available for orchards
- Establishing an Orchard Network - for sharing of apples, finding out what members do and what they want and also for advice.
- Establishing a Pembrokeshire Orchard Database for - to establish the extent of orchards in Pembrokeshire, the number of trees, age and varieties found.
Useful Orchard Links;
www.glasu.org.uk/reports.htm
www.marcherapple.net |
Graham Moore demonstrating where best to cut on the branch. |
Paul Davies demonstrating pruning techniques. |
PGA members get to work removing Ivy from the fruit trees. |
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The first meeting of the Pembrokeshire Produce Group took place at a Christmas 2007 Networking Event, supported by the Agri-food South West Regional Food & Marketing Division of the Welsh Assembly Government and hosted by PLANED and Pembrokeshire County Council at the Nant-t-Ffin Motel in Llandysilio in December 2007. |
David Edwards of True Marketing, presented on -
‘Understanding the market place, what is evolving and collaborative working?’.
Barry Green of Levercliff, presented on -
‘What direction do you take? How to choose the right market for you?’
Both speakers presented a very realistic account of the current market place, today’s consumer and the consumer of the future. The presentations were followed by a buffet, which provided an invaluable opportunity for networking. If you missed the event, below are some the key facts and statements extracted from the evening’s presentations. |
| Understanding the Market |
- The amount of imported food products into the UK is increasing, as the nation becomes less self sufficient in food production.
- The major multiple retailers (i.e. supermarkets) have a significant hold in the UK market place. Tesco has the largest percentage with 31%, with Asda trailing behind in second place with 16.7% of the market place.
- Consumer spending on dairy, fish and fruit has increased, whilst spending on vegetables has remained static and the sales of tea and coffee has decreased.
- The speciality food market in the UK is growing e.g. Speciality cheeses.
- In Wales, the average household spend on food is £40 a week.
- Pembrokeshire has a population of 114,000, with 90,737 aged between 15 – 74 yrs. The weekly spend in Pembrokeshire on food is £2 million a week.
(True Marketing) |
| Understanding the Consumer – important for the producer to understand what drives them and what motivates them |
- The UK population is getting older – decreasing proportion of younger consumers and increasing older consumers, referred to as the ‘grey market’.
- Society is experiencing ‘youthful aging’ where sixty is the new fifty.
- Forecast that the current ‘golden age’ for pensioners is unlikely to continue, with the end of final salary pension schemes, the pensioner of the future is likely to be a lot less affluent.
- Average UK household is becoming smaller, this will mean an increased demand for smaller convenient products, there will be fewer ‘family shoppers’ and therefore fewer formal eating occasions.
- ‘Health’ and healthy products are a growing sector in today’s market place.
- It is important for the food producers, to balance the ‘health’ aspect of their product, with ‘enjoyment’ and ‘convenience’ as these are seen as the main Food and Drink Market Drivers in the current market.
(Levercliff) |
| What does today’s consumer want? |
Increasing demand for the following;
- Wholesome food.
- Unadulterated ‘natural’ food products.
- Fresh food.
- Food products with low environmental impact.
- Food products with provenance i.e. local / regional / Pembrokeshire.
- Food products that are occasionally indulgent.
(True Marketing) |
| Changes in Purchasing Habits? |
- Whilst most consumers shop at their local supermarket, consumers are more regularly ‘topping up’ their weekly shop at their local convenience store.
- Consumers are purchasing more frequently.
- Internet food shopping is on the increase.
- People, particularly in places like London, are eating away from home more frequently.
(True Marketing) |
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A series of consultations and studies commissioned by PLANED (see Reports and Studies) highlighted the need for producers to work collaboratively in promoting and distributing local produce. A recent meeting in Llandysilio saw producers from around Pembrokeshire come together to form a Pembrokeshire Produce Group. |
 The aims of the group are to create an opportunity for networking, improved communication and to enable producers to work collaboratively on projects and the promotion of Pembrokeshire produce. The group is open to producers and distributors throughout Pembrokeshire, particularly those  involved with ‘adding value’ to their products. The first official meeting of the
Pembrokeshire Produce Group is to be confirmed for later this year.
The demand for local produce has been increasingly growing, as the public become  more conscious about the food they eat, where it comes from and how it is produced. Work carried out by PLANED with communities across the whole of Pembrokeshire has revealed that people want better access and availability of local produce. Pembrokeshire has a wealth of small producers producing quality food products and PLANED is working closely with these producers and local businesses to investigate initiatives that will help to make local produce more accessible for local residents and for visitors to the area. |
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 - Less food miles - in our society today, much of the food we consume is sourced from all over the globe, often travelling thousands of miles, consuming large amounts of fossil fuel and contributing to climate change.
Traceability – opportunity to know where your food comes from and how it is produced.
Fresher – local food has less distance to travel, so is often fresher and therefore more nutritious.
Support your local economy - purchasing local produce means that the money you spend is more likely to remain in the local economy, benefiting local people and local communities.
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'Pembrokeshire Country Markets' operate throughout the county and offer a
wide range of products including locally made crafts.
Click here for more information. |
 The Pembrokeshire Food & Drink Directory contains a list of producers and outlets selling local produce. Click here. |
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| Reports and Studies |
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.pdf Document - file size = 345Kb |
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.pdf Document - file size = 341Kb |
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