Research
and Development Strategy
Mushrooms
The mushroom sector is the second smallest of the
7 HDC sector Panels contributing approximately 4% of
the annual HDC income. This sector primarily comprises
the range of Agaricus bisporus products but also includes the much smaller
level of production of various exotic species. The UK mushroom industry has
undergone a period of declining profitability and associated rationalisation
in recent years. The problems contributing to this decline were examined in
the HDC project CP25 in 2004. The main factor identified was that costs of
production were outstripping income and the main recommendations were that
growers should improve the collection of comparative data, collaborate to reduce
costs and consider vertical integration into three tiers comprising composting,
growing and marketing. These will not be easy to deliver but concerted action
is needed within the industry in order to halt the decline and make progress.
The problems of the availability and costs of skilled
and semi-skilled labour are common to most sectors
in horticulture and are recognized by Defra amongst
others. The HDC cross panel project CP 22 has funded
an engineering initiative on behalf of the Mushroom
and Hardy Nursery Stock Panels to explore the potential
for mechanisation solutions to these labour issues.
The target of reducing labour costs per unit of production
is a major challenge involving improved business management,
increased capital investment and staff training.
HDC funded research and development work in the past
has focused very much on crop protection issues. Consultation
with the industry has identified crop protection as
a continuing priority and so there is an ongoing programme
of strategic and applied R&D addressing the pest
and disease priorities of mushrooms.
The increasing concerns of the general public over
the environmental impact of production are reflected
in the strategic and applied R&D addressing the
issue of odours from mushroom compost and the recent
introduction of the revised Waste Regulations.
Mr Andrew Tinsley
Technical & Communications Manager
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