The UK’s flower industry is in full bloom with the revenue of £121M, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
One of the reasons for this increase is the decline of imported steams, which add to the expenses of flower businesses. In addition to this, the recent Royal Wedding organizers also hired local flower growers instead of importing from other parts of the world.
The flower industry comprises about 80 per cent of the UK stock, which is a pretty serious business and revenue driver.
New Coven Garden Market provided the flowers for the Royal wedding last year and encourage people to ‘get involved and to buy more British.’
In 2015, the highest revenue for the flower industry amounts to £85, with 14 per cent of sales coming from stems sold in the UK.
Brexit Effect on the Flower Industry
When Brexit finally takes place, the flower industry can be affected due to port issues and price hikes. Fears about massive delays in the delivery to the Netherlands is prominent, however, Britain is requesting for a ‘special status’ when it comes to flowers.
According to Telegraph, the two countries are already in the talks for this ‘special status’ as part of the future UK-EU relationship.
Jaap van Duijin, Chairman of Greenport Food and Flower Experience said, “What we would like is a certificate for the Netherlands to show that our flowers meet the standards and do not need checks. Otherwise, the burden in terms of paperwork and customs would be ridiculous.”
If the deal was not approved, Dutch growers will suffer as well as British ports as they don’t have enough equipment in checking flowers from the Netherlands and other EU countries.
Supermarket sales hold the biggest slice in the overall revenue. Aldi is the first UK supermarket to get an increase in flower sales last year.