The UK berry industry is currently valued at more than £600 million in gross value added and supports over 16,000 jobs. Last year, members of British Berry Growers grew 10,000 tonnes of strawberries on 2,500ha. This was up 11% on the previous year.

“It was a good year, warm and dry with good light levels,” commented Nicholas Marston, Chairman of British Berry Growers. “Volume was up 11% on the previous year, and while the peak season typically runs from the second week of May until September, some glasshouse growers continue through to October before stopping for winter. Only two UK growers produce year-round, maintaining harvests through January and February.”

© British Berry Growers

Producing strawberries year-round is costly, with high energy use for lighting and heating making it a very limited market.

The two growers who produce year-round have only been going for two years, and have produced reasonable volumes, but will there be more? The jury is still out.

Sentiment in the UK berry industry
British Berry Growers, who represent 95% of UK berry producers, conducted its annual growers survey in August 2025, which followed similar surveys in 2023 and 2024. Results indicate a gradual recovery in confidence and rising investment intentions for some but also highlight ongoing strain in grower-retailer relationships, financial pressure, and uncertainty about the future.

Retailer relationships
The findings show more than one-third of growers (34%) are considering reducing or exiting berry production entirely, while 61% believe supermarkets “buy only on price, not partnership” – this is up from 40% in 2024. Meanwhile, 32% say the relationship is the worst it has been in the past decade, compared with just 8% two years ago.

In fact, only 10% now describe retailer relationships as a “true partnership,” with 15% saying it is “the best it’s been”.

Nick Marston comments: “While the results show encouraging signs of recovery and growing confidence in investment, they also show a clear warning: if retailers continue to focus on price over partnership, we risk losing British growers altogether. British growers need retailers to ensure fair returns and retailers need British berries on shelves – it must remain a partnership, not a transaction for both parties”.

Ongoing increases in costs© British Berry Growers
“There has been another increase in labour costs above the rate of inflation this year, as well as unexpected increased costs due to the war in the Middle East, such as growers having to pay more for diesel and fertiliser, which will put serious pressure on the growers. The last two seasons have been better than 2023, but still challenging.

“The main challenge remains ever-increasing labour costs; there was a lag in getting better returns from the retailers, and 2023 was particularly bad with businesses making a loss or just marginal profits. The retailers need British berries on the shelves and returns have since gone up, but so have costs. If growers are not making a profit, they can’t invest and so will not have the capacity to go on growing in the future. “A squeeze on capital, made worse by the ending of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme which assisted growers to invest, will have a big effect on growers. The Government must look at the treatment of capital expenditure on farms to encourage expansion.

“Greenhouse production remains limited, but these growers need gas and electricity to heat them; costs have gone up massively, alongside fertiliser and diesel costs. To make things worse, high-capacity supply standing charges are going up with no relief for farmers. So far growers have had no support from the government, unlike many areas of manufacturing.”

Grower confidence and investment
The research by British Berry Growers found that fewer than half of growers (48%) report making a profit, and only 39% expect to remain profitable in 2026. Forty-three percent describe their business’s financial health as bad or extremely bad. On a more positive note, the number of growers feeling more confident about the future has risen to 22%, compared with 8% in 2023, while those feeling less confident dropped to 42%, down from 68%.

Investment trends also shifted. Thirty-nine percent of growers plan to increase investment, a sharp rise from 4% in 2023, while the proportion scaling back investment fell to 49%, down from 68%. However, 58% of respondents believe the berry industry is performing worse under the current Labour government than under the previous administration.

New varieties
Research into new varieties is common among strawberry growers. It is easier than with other types of fruit as the plants have an annual cycle, and growers can change quickly, although it does take time to propagate and select the right new varieties.

“Growers are looking for good eating quality, good shelf life and good yields. Plant architecture is also very important; bigger berries are visually pleasing for consumers and easier to pick, which is key given labour is expensive.”

2026 strawberry season outlook
“This year the crop is looking positive, with a planted area similar to last year. Hopefully production will be similar, and retailers will remain supportive of growers.”

For more information:
British Berry Growers
Tel: +44 (0) 7966 521779‬
www.britishberrygrowers.org.uk