Recent figures released from TNS show that apple sales are falling due to increased competition from other fruits. In the year to May sales fell 3.2% whilst sales of peaches, apricots and cherries all increased.

Latest figures from the Horticultural Trades Association suggest that there are signs of recovery in the UK garden market, with garden centres leading the way. Whilst the association’s Garden Industry Monitor (GIM)  showed total sales of garden products down by around 10% in 2008, the first half of 2009 seems to have recovered the position held a year earlier.

Citing significant interest in ‘Grow Your Own’ (GYO) and better weather as the reasons for the change, the HTA is “cautiously optimistic” that the garden industry is well-placed as the UK economy turns towards recovery.

Whilst most land-based workers are well used to working in freezing temperatures come the winter it seems that midlands footballers are of a slightly less robust disposition. After having to cancel matches last year because of the frost Birmingham City FC has just spent half a million pounds installing under pitch heating and a new pitch profile. The work was completed in only four weeks and now Birmingham’s players will be able to continue playing no matter how chilly it gets. Not too sure about the carbon footprint implications of heating a field mind you!

Following our earlier story about vertical farming it seems that developers are using the same principle to provide garden and amenity areas. Ropemaker, a new 20 storey development that has recently been completed in North London, has nearly half a hectare of planted roof terraces on three staggered levels, one of which is 16 floors up! The building itself was completed last November and planting of the green areas started in the spring and was finished in late June, costing around £1 million and even extending to planting trees.

Despite the call to “Buy British” it seems that UK supermarkets are leaving British plums to rot this year whilst stocking their shelves with imported products. Despite a bumper British harvest, supermarkets are stocking imported fruit blaming the unpredictable British weather and saying that they have to make contingency plans to import fruit in case the British harvest is poor and cannot now change these plans.

A recent IGD report has shown that consumers are increasingly turning their back on organic produce because of the economic climate. Organic spend has remained static although the IGD say that they are confident that the situation is a dip rather than a collapse and that organic consumption will increase again once the economy starts to recover.

The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and all wildlife, helping to create a better world for everyone. This well known organisation has more than one million members, 1300 employees and more than 13,000 volunteers and regularly uses Land-Force.com to place job adverts. Michelle Songest, Personnel Adviser, at RSPB explained why: “We use Land-Force because it is easy to use, great value and widens our pool of candidates considerably”.

One sheep breeder is celebrating this month following the Scottish National Texel Sale in Lanark. Graham Morrison’s February-born lamb, Deveronvale Perfection, sold for 220,000gns (£231,000) smashing the previous UK and world record prices for a sheep.

The Horticultural Trades Association has just published the results of its 14th annual salary survey, which reveals that more than 40% of businesses in the nursery and garden centre sector have seen their pay frozen in 2009.

The survey also reveals that a number of businesses have agreed pay cuts with their employees, with the largest reported to be 10%, with others reducing between 3-5%.