Brillopak
Ploughing a new course post-Brexit: How robotics
can help fresh produce suppliers adapt and survive
T
he uncertainties surrounding Brexit have made many
suppliers of fresh produce wary of investing until
they know exactly what sort of deal will be struck
between the UK and European Union before 29 March
2019. However, David Jahn, director at automation specialist
Brillopak, believes that recent government announcements
mean that now is the time to consider investment to
mitigate the challenges created by Brexit.
Moves away from direct payments and other subsidies
under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as a result of
leaving the EU will have much less effect on plant-based
businesses which are already much more dependent on
market economics than other farming businesses. For
the fresh produce and crop sectors, the three biggest
issues from Brexit have been access to labour, future
access to markets, and continued funding for the Producer
Organisation (PO) scheme, although as with many other
20
businesses, access to crucial imports such as plant
material, machinery and crop protection compounds is also
important.
“While there remains a lot of uncertainty, not helped by the
brinkmanship on both sides during the Brexit negotiations,
some recent announcements by the government should give
growers and packers more confidence to plan investment,”
believes David.
His thoughts echo those of Jacqui Green, chief executive of
cooperative fruit supplier Berry Gardens, who told a recent
conference: “I genuinely believe that the people who don’t
have a plan in times of adversity are the ones who will fail.”
In fact, David feels that there are a number of reasons for
fresh produce suppliers to seize investment opportunities
presented by Brexit sooner rather than later: