• Loss of university plant and crop science courses and fragmented horticultural research could undermine UK food security
• Expanding edible horticulture could contribute an additional £3.5 billion to UK GDP, according to expert analysis
London 20 October 2026: Britain risks losing the scientific skills and research capability it needs to increase home-grown fruit and vegetable production, academics and industry experts have warned.
The warning comes as the UK remains heavily dependent on imported produce, while analysis presented at the SCI suggests expanding edible horticulture could contribute an additional £3.5 billion to GDP at today’s values.
The two related challenges have been highlighted by the SCI’s Horticulture Group and at the SCI’s prestigious Sydney Andrew lecture, given by Professor Rosemary Collier, of Warwick University Crop Centre.
At a recent meeting organised by the SCI Horticulture Group, industry and academic members heard about challenges posed by the continued decline of crop and plant science training in the UK. Chair of the group, Dr Alec Forsyth FRSB gave an update on a peer-reviewed research paper published last year in the SCI’s Journal JSFA Reports. which examined the availability of plant and crop science teaching at UK universities. Since the research was published, a further three relevant courses have closed.
The original study examined 3,165 modules across 127 undergraduate courses at 32 UK institutions and found striking differences in the plant and crop science available to students. Of 33 plant-related subjects examined, not one was taught across all 32 institutions, while 93 of the 127 courses contained identifiable plant content in fewer than half of their modules.
Dr Forsyth said: “This matters because Britain needs specialists capable of confronting some of the biggest challenges facing the country, from protecting crops against pests and diseases to producing food as the climate changes. Without a strong pipeline of plant and crop scientists, the UK risks losing the expertise needed to strengthen its own food production, at a time when food production is an essential part of national security.”
SCI’s Horticulture Group is calling on universities offering plant-related degrees to establish a more consistent core of plant and crop science teaching and ensure courses address known skills shortages in areas including soil science, plant pathology, plant health and biosecurity, crop and horticultural science, taxonomy, plant identification, physiology and field studies.
The warning over the risks facing the horticulture sector has been reinforced by Professor Collier who used SCI’s Sydney Andrew Lecture to highlight fundamental changes in the organisation of UK horticultural research.
Professor Collier said the UK has had no dedicated horticultural research institute since 2004, while the end of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board horticulture levy in 2022 removed a central mechanism for coordinating research funding and knowledge exchange.
Research is now distributed across universities, institutes, businesses and other organisations. Professor Collier described horticultural R&D as receiving “scattered”, rather than “scant”, attention, with funding still available but not always sufficiently integrated around the fundamental problems growers face.
The warnings come despite the economic importance of the sector. UK horticultural production is worth around £4.87 billion, compared with £3.83 billion for cereals, despite horticulture occupying a fraction of the agricultural land area.
Britain also remains heavily reliant on imported fruit and vegetables. In 2023, domestic production supplied approximately 53 per cent of vegetables consumed in the UK but only 16 per cent of fruit.
Professor Collier said edible horticulture currently occupies around one per cent of UK agricultural land. Her analysis suggests that adding a further one per cent could increase the annual value of home-grown fresh produce to more than £6.5 billion, while doubling the area devoted to edible horticulture could contribute an additional £3.5 billion to GDP at today’s values.
She added that funding has not disappeared and identified 283 publicly funded horticulture-related projects worth more than £124m. However, she said that funding is often technology-led rather than directed towards the fundamental challenges and approaches that would allow horticulture to grow, while the sheer diversity of horticultural crops means research investment is spread thinly.
Professor Collier said: “The sector needs a strong overarching strategy and vision for horticultural R&D addressing the fragmentation of the current system, with grower-led applied research playing a central role in supporting growth and resilience.”
Both pieces of work point to the need for action at both ends of the pipeline: developing the next generation of plant and crop scientists trained in Britain while also creating a better coordinated research environment in which their expertise can be put to work.
ENDS
Contact:
For further information or to speak to Dr. Forsyth or Professor Collier Tony Henderson
Tel: +44 (0) 7538 905762
E: Press@soci.org
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