| Year Formed | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Parent Organisation | Society of Chemical Industry |
| Address | 14/15 Belgrave Square London |
The SCI Horticulture Group is one of the Technical Interest Groups [1] within the Society of Chemical Industry. In line with the Society’s maxim 'Where Science meets Business' the Group’s aim is to assist the transfer of horticultural science in its broadest sense into business practice. It does this by providing career support for professionals as well as a forum for discussion and sharing of information on issues relevant to the full range of horticulture-related industries, public authorities, academics and other interested parties. The Group brings together horticulturists and others working within the horticulture industry, in particular those concerned with the transfer of horticultural science into business practice.
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The Group covers all aspects of horticulture, but focuses its efforts on encouraging the transfer of new scientific knowledge and understanding into the industry. This includes at one end the colleges and universities training the scientists and managers of the future, research departments generating new science and organisations such as botanical gardens which provide them with resources, new plants and new ideas. In the middle are the growers and producers of horticultural crops and the companies that supply them with the products and services to enable them to grow their crops – frequently the route by which new scientific advances reach them. Downstream are the supply chain companies and food processing companies which ensure the produce reaches the consumer in a safe and palatable form.
The Group does not forget that a significant part of the horticulture industry is concerned with improving the environment and man's well-being through cut flowers, pot plants, public parks, public greenspace and private gardens all of which need good science to ensure they are produced and managed efficiently and economically.
The Group was formed in 2008 by a nucleus of horticulturists who valued the contribution that science could make to the future of their industry. They realised that they could not achieve their objectives alone which is why they wished to be part of and contribute to the SCI family. They needed the added-value of the larger organisation and in return wished to contribute added-value to the larger organisation.
The Group achieves its objective of providing a forum for the interaction of science and the industry through a variety of media;
The Group’s activities are aimed to work with or complement the work of a number of other organisations with similar aims;
The ISHS is a membership society based in Leuven, Belgium. Its aim is to "...to promote and encourage research and education in all branches of horticultural science and to facilitate cooperation and knowledge transfer on a global scale through its symposia and congresses, publications and scientific structure." With around 7,000 members in 150 countries worldwide the Society organises regular symposia, international conferences and congresses. Every four years it hold a major International Congress, the next being in August 2010 in Lisbon.
The Society publishes its proceeding through three publications;
The Group is an organisational member of the Society of Biology. The Society represents many of the learned societies and other organisations making up the diverse landscape of the biological sciences, as well as thousands of individuals. Through it, the SCI Horticulture Group is represented to Government and other policy makers across the wide spectrum of topics that embrace horticulture and the environment. The Society also gives members of the SCI Horticulture group a route through which they can obtain accreditation, Continuing Professional Development(CPD) and eventually the status of Chartered Biologist.
The SCI Horticulture Group supports and helps fund the National Horticultural Forum (NHF).The NHF was established in 2002, following a recommendation of the Defra-commissioned review of horticultural R&D, chaired by Sir Colin Spedding, and entitled A Vision for Horticulture. Colin Spedding recommended that 'An independent National Horticultural Forum should be established to create and update an overview or vision of the horticultural industry. It should identify the major R&D needs and the important contributions that the industry could make to all its stakeholders and to society generally.’ A recent review of the future role of the NHF restated this aim, emphasising that the NHF is a representative body for the industry presenting an independent, collective view of key conclusions in relation to horticulture to government.
The NHF steering group meets about three times a year, under the independent chairmanship of Dr Andrew Colquhoun. The members of the Steering Group are senior representatives of;
Two representatives of the R&D Providers Group also attend Steering Group meetings.
Since its establishment, the NHF has provided a unique opportunity for the major industry representative bodies to meet together to consider issues of importance across the industry. It has also funded three important reports:
The first of these was a Skills Audit of Horticultural R&D in 2003. This examined the scientific and research skills available to horticultural R & D and identified areas of strength and weakness as well as making recommendations on how the latter should be addressed.
The second report on Future of the UK Horticultural Industry 2005 was seen as a wake-up call to the industry as it found that the industry needed to evolve and become more professional if it was to survive in a competitive international marketplace. Several key areas of research were identified including improving packaging and reducing labour costs.
The most recent report, a Review of the Provision of UK Horticultural R&D, is what many consider to be a key report for the future of UK horticulture. It concluded that, unless action is taken now, the UK industry is set to lose the expertise and facilities that are desperately needed to provide the R&D needed for the industry to thrive in the future. The implications for HDC levy payers and the challenges it poses to HDC are immense.[13]
Professor Simon Bright, who recently took up the post of Senior Executive Officer to Forum reviewed the challenges for the NHF in an interview published in the SCI Horticulture Group Newsletter (February 2010)
The HDC is a statutory body which collects a levy from all but the smallest growers and uses the money to fund near-market research and development. It thus provides a complementary function to the SCI Horticulture Group.
Established by statutory order in 1986 as the Horticultural Development Council, it changed in 2008 to the Horticultural Development Company and became a division of the statutory levy body the Agriculture and Horticulture Development. The levy collected for most crops (except mushrooms) is 0.5% of annual turnover.
HDC has responsibility for over 300 crops in the horticultural industry, and the different crop interests are represented through its seven sector Panels:
With Over 260 individual experienced members working throughout the UK, BIAC can usually find you the appropriate adviser for your particular problem or challenge. All its members are engaged in the provision of advice for the full range of issues concerning the ownership and occupation of land and rural businesses - not simply farming, growing and food production. Members are obliged to hold PII and report their annual CPD. BIAC offers a bespoke search facility on their website to help you find the relevant adviser.
The Commercial Horticultural Association is the trade association for manufacturers and suppliers of plants, products and services to commercial horticulture. Originally formed as a lobby group to represent exhibitors at UK trade shows it has grown into full trade association status and is particularly active in helping both its members and other UK companies enter export markets. The CHA is an Accredited Trade Organisation (ATO) under the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) run by UK Trade & Investment, a cross government organisation combining the export activities of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Working in conjunction with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the International Agri-Technology Centre (IATC) the association organises UK pavilions at selected overseas trade shows, recruits potential exhibitors and, in conjunction with other government support agencies, assists them to plan and execute their export strategy. Through CHA, SCI Horticulture can be represented at UK and overseas events.
The Society of Chemical Industry was incorporated by Royal Charter 1907. Registered as UK Charity 206883.