Flower farmer and campaigner Roisin Taylor NSch 2023 has published her Nuffield Farming report 'Revival and Survival: is the British cut flower industry prepared for a 2-degree warming world?', sponsored by the John Oldacre Foundation.

The full report is now available on the Nuffield Farming report library. Roisin's report video can be found on the Nuffield Farming YouTube channel and a recording of Roisin presenting at the Nuffield Farming Conference can be found here.

During her Scholarship, Roisin travelled to New Zealand, Kenya, the Netherlands, and the UK.

In her report, Roisin said: "The UK market for fresh flowers and indoor plants is valued at £2.2 billion, but only approximately 10% of that is grown in the UK. Since the 1980s, our national cut flower industry has been in a steep decline. What happened to our cut flower industry, and how can growers survive in the face of a 2-degree warming world?

"Against the backdrop of a powerful $9.6 billion global industry, and the flower markets of Holland out-competing UK growers on price, what would it take for them to truly thrive? A 2-degree warming world means increases in pests and disease, unpredictable temperature extremes, flooding and droughts, but so far the flower growing sector has focused solely on emissions reduction. Where is the discussion about resilience, future proofing, and adaptation?"

During her travels, Roisin found that answers to resilience lay in how communities respond to emergencies, as well as how they exchange and share knowledge.

"The ideal place for climate adaptation is on a farming scale where farmers feel empowered to take action with the knowledge and research to back up their decisions, and with financial incentives from governments," explained Roisin.

However, meeting growers in the UK, Roisin found that there were significant issues around infrastructure, energy costs, a lack of incentives for relevant sustainability practices, or access to R&D: "There exists a vicious cycle of growers under financial pressures, leading to the government and civil society dismissing the sector, leading to a further lack of investment."

Roisin concluded that the most substantial roadblock to change is division and a struggle for survival: "While financial pressures and high levels of international competition impact our sector, there are nevertheless emerging opportunities on the horizon as a result of climatic change.

"But no-one is leading with a unified voice, advocating to the government, civil society, or the public, at a time where growers are clamouring for support. We need a dedicated sector body that specialises in floriculture, taking positive, inclusive action with effective campaigning and advocacy, and dedicated research," Roisin concluded.

Study objectives

• Understand the scope of the British cut flower sector in 2024
• Understand whether the British cut flower sector is prepared for a 2-degree warming world
• To meet farmers and growers on the front line of climate change to understand what solutions might exist to help prepare farmers and farming businesses for the impacts of climate change.

Key messages

1. The British cut flower sector is disjointed and struggling to survive against the competition of imports. However there are huge opportunities for growth under the 'British' label, as seen in supermarkets and progress of groups like Flowers From The Farm.
2. We need a growers' body that acts as a voice for the whole sector to challenge imports, advocate for policy change and push for further brand recognition for British flowers.
3. Climate adaptation can be best achieved at an 'on-farm' level, with farmers leading the way and helping their communities adapt too. To do this well, we need to facilitate knowledge and exchange groups who share best practice and help one another in times of climatic extremes.
4. British cut flower growers must not fall behind on the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) agroecological growing methods and energy reduction compared to our European counterparts. Transparency in the British cut flower sector may be a further market benefit compared to imports.