Graham Spencer

Plants For Europe is an independent plant breeders' agent. I own the company and use Twitter to provide updates on the business & to link to interesting stuff!

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Twitter isn't like Twitter used to be, is it? So, you can now find us over on BlueSky - @plantsforeurope.bsky.social - come and join us there and tell your friends!

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

I would like to link to this article, but fear that @NeilAlcock might explode. https://t.co/17LVpNRHnP

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Simply unsustainable. It's time to involve mainstream media. It's a car-crash and government needs to take control before horticulture is irreparably harmed.

[HortWeek @hortweek]

150 trucks 'stuck at BCP Sevington'
https://t.co/ru7BY7mscH
#horticulture #Brexit #imports #Plants @grahampfe @BritishGrowers @BOA_homegrown @HTAnews

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

This comes as no surprise. But I struggle to see possible solutions without rejoining the SM and CU - the new govt says that's off the table, but has no alternative plan. Cakeism remains in Downing Street.

[Faisal Islam @faisalislam]

NEW 🧮

comprehensive Brexit trade analysis suggests hit from new trade barriers worsening in 2023 as UK decouples from EU supply chains… uses 3 full years data to analyse trends by sector/ sub sector/ nation

27% export hit vs its no Brexit model:

https://t.co/kgp66dnNHk

[HortWeek @hortweek]

Horticulture Week Podcast: Leading horticulturists Matthew Bent and Graham Spencer on visiting @FourOaksTrade Show
https://t.co/hMs72mx3jr
#Horticulture @grahampfe @BentsGardenHome #Podcast

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Excellent thought piece from Chris Grey on where we are with Brexit now that we have a Labour govt, including what might be happening with the SPS arrangements. https://t.co/qpTKNSkmBs

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

@hortweek @BritishGrowers @GC_Association @LeaValleyGrower Brexit was the greatest act of national self harm during 14 years of Conservative government, top of a long list of other acts of national self harm promulgated by that party. If you have a vote today, you know what to do.

[The House magazine @TheHouseMag]

🌱 @HTAnews seeks a holistic government horticulture strategy, inclusive of trade and borders, to be delivered that supports growth in competitiveness and productivity of the UK sector.

#PartnerContent
https://t.co/2oR020Yzoe

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Awareness of this issue is slowly increasing. Agreeing a new SPS deal with the EU will be neither quick nor easy - but that does not mean we should not aim for it.

[Liz Webster @LizWebsterSBF]

🚨 Nurseries and garden centres across Britain and Europe have warned that new post-Brexit border posts are not working properly and are leading to delays, damage and significant extra costs for importers bringing plants into Britain.

🆘 The Horticultural Trade Association, which represents 1,400 garden retailers and growers in the UK, has joined forces with several European trade bodies to write an open letter to call for urgent solutions, warning the new system was adding more than 25% to import costs.

It said the checks introduced in April had held up a significant number of deliveries at the border, sometimes for as long as 44 hours, while difficulties carrying out inspections were increasing the chance of harmful pests and plant diseases entering Britain.

Importers claim the posts are too small to process goods from multiple lorries, and they said there is insufficient equipment at nearly all facilities to unload plants such as large trees or those large plants not stacked into plant trolleys.

The trade bodies said the new system is causing delays and piling on costs. One haulage company said it experienced 93 hours of driver waiting time in the first week of the checks, costing it £38,000 in extra pay.

And loads are being “observed, rather than intensely scrutinised”, which was increasing the chance of diseases being missed, while the lack of information on what was being checked was leaving some end customers in the dark about the health of plants they received.

In one case, checks on a load of 50 mature olive trees were abandoned because of difficulties unloading. The letter said: “Olive trees are a well-known host for Xylella fastidiosa, a very high-risk and damaging bacterial disease.

“The end customer would have expected and paid for the at-border check … Yet the business received no information about what had happened and why, nor was it aware that those trees had an incomplete check.”

https://t.co/CtWqiqKgFx

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Well....

[Financial Times @FT]

What soundbites from tonight's debate between Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak stood out to you the most? Here's one from our associate editor @stephenkb https://t.co/zXlAVzScWx

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

Arrived at my desk this morning, fizzing with ideas. So far, I've emailed seven people to progress these ideas and got out of office replies from six of them. Time for a holiday?

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

@NeilAlcock @Plaid_Cymru @LSRPlaid Not surprising. Labour say they want an improved SPS agreement with the EU, but that will not be easy and will need serious compromise. Nor will it happen quickly.

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

@loujnicholls It would be easier if we actually had aircon...

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

@hortweek Coming from someone who does not take the industry seriously at all, that's a bit of cheek.

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

as inherently bad.

Of course, the government could match the EU's SME voucher scheme. But that flies in the face of HMT's user-pays policy.

Hopefully, industry bodies like @NFUtweets and @HTAnews will collaborate to lobby the incoming govt in these fields. 10/ends

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

I deal with this on a daily basis - I work with intellectual property for plant varieties (ornamental and agricultural). That *should* be a juicy thing for politicians to associate themselves with - "green innovation" should have the political PR teams salivating. But no... 1/n

[David Henig 🇺🇦 @DavidHenigUK]

When it comes to farmers there is an unstated party that is central to what has happened since 2016 - the Treasury. Which institutionally believes that UK food production should not be subsidised. Big problem - no politician dare say the same... https://t.co/uAz82Sn5F2

[Graham Spencer @grahampfe]

require cooperation with the EU (either simple recognition of EU IP rights as being valid in the UK [unlikely], or exchange of UK/EU variety evaluation reports [perfectly possible]), which the current govt will not permit because any solution that is "European" is perceived 9/n