UK Fruit & Vegetable Coalition launches at Westminster

The UK Fruit & Vegetable Coalition marked its official launch in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 25 November 2025, bringing growers and policymakers together to champion a resilient, climate- and nature-friendly horticulture sector.

The coalition unites organisations representing organic and agroecological growers across the four nations of the UK, including Sustain, the Landworkers’ Alliance, Soil Association, Organic Growers Alliance, The Food Foundation, CSA Network, among others. Together, they are calling on the UK government to increase home-grown organic fruit and vegetable production, strengthen regional supply chains and support a rewarding, accessible career path for future agroecological growers.

Members of the coalition hosted a seasonal lunch, prepared and served by Growing Communities and featuring produce from agroecological farmers and growers. MPs, Peers and civil servants were invited to meet growers, sample their food and learn more about the coalition’s policy priorities. The event, hosted by Ed Morello MP, drew an impressive turnout: over 40 MPs attended, alongside several Peers, the Defra Horticulture Team and a wide range of policy officials.

Guests received the coalition’s pamphlet Growing Together, which outlines how agroecological horticulture can contribute to the National Food Strategy by: 

• Supporting progress to net-zero targets
• Boosting biodiversity
• Improving food system resilience
• Attracting new entrants

Its joint proposals include supporting regional collaboration between growers, tailored capital grants for horticultural SMEs, a Market Garden Start-Up Support Fund, targeted investment in distribution infrastructure, training for new entrants and delivery of commitments to source 50% of public-sector food from local or sustainable suppliers.

Reflecting on the event, Steven Jacobs, Coalition Chair and Coordinator of the Organic Growers Alliance, said:

“It was fantastic to see politicians from across the political spectrum eager to meet agroecological growers and committed to a thriving future for UK horticulture. Agroecological fruit and vegetable production holds keys to the major challenges we face: from public health to food security, climate resilience and nature recovery. We are encouraged by the government’s commitment to placing horticulture at the heart of the food strategy, and we look forward to working with Defra Minister Angela Eagle in 2026 to turn that ambition into reality.”

Georgina Edwards, Sustainable Farming Campaign Officer at Sustain, said:

“Horticulture will be a crucial area of focus for policymakers in 2026. The science is clear: we need a shift towards plant-rich diets with more vegetables, pulses and legumes for both climate and public health. The Food Strategy offers a rare, cross-government opportunity to grow this sector from field to fork. It could support growers to scale up production, while also using market levers, such as public procurement, that can boost farm profitability and forge a viable future for a new generation of agroecological growers.”

 Find out more and download briefings by the UK Fruit & Vegetable Coalition