More than half of British orchards gone in 30 years

INTENSIVE FARMING and the unwillingness of supermarkets to stock home-grown fruit have destroyed more than half of Britain's apple and pear orchards, according to research to be published today.

Two comprehensive studies by an influential food and environment group reveal that half the pear orchards and 60 per cent of the apple orchards have vanished since 1970. In the process, nearly 3,000 varieties of the two fruits have been lost.

The studies warn that the loss of traditional fruit-growing lands is seriously damaging wildlife and has driven manyfruit farmers out of business.

The studies on the environmental and social effects of apple and pear production were conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment Alliance (Safe) and funded partly by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Safe is urging the Government to make more grants available for creating and maintaining traditional orchards, where the use of pesticides is banned, or at least minimised.

Rosemary Hoskins, the author of the reports, said: "Consumers are finding it near impossible to buy local varieties or organically produced fruit. At a time when the Government is encouraging us to eat more fresh fruit, it is extraordinary that it also has to advise us on avoiding pesticide residues on that fruit."

Ms Hoskins said supermarket chains should do more to promote a broader range of British varieties.

The researchers found that in the largest supermarkets only a dozen British varieties of apples and pears were on sale.

"It is vital that the Government and food retailers support growers in reducing chemical reliance and growing more varieties," Ms Hoskins said.

"Pressure from retailers has contributed to farmers giving up their orchards because supermarkets want to buy in bulk. We found that there were more imported apples than British apples in the supermarkets, even when it was the height of our season."

The organisation wants shoppers to buy local, traditional varieties in an attempt to reverse the current trends.

"Apples that have been transported around the country are treated with extra pesticides to enable them to survive," said Ms Hoskins.

Orchards are attractive to hedgehogs, foxes and badgers, and can be ideal habitats for wild flowers, mistletoe, bees, butterflies and a variety of other insects, the report says.

The report - How Green are our Apples? - incorporates research by the Government which has found that birds are twice as likely to inhabit older, traditional-style orchards than modern orchards, which have smaller, younger and more densely planted trees.