Berry tough: Ribena seeks to make hardier blackcurrants to beat extreme weather | Food & drink industry

The owner of Ribena will invest £200,000 to help blackcurrant bushes withstand stress after extreme weather hit this year’s UK harvest.

This harvest is currently taking place in the fruit’s main growing regions, including East Anglia, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Kent and Scotland. This figure is expected to be around 10% below the average 10,000 tonnes as the climate crisis causes extreme weather in Britain and elsewhere.

Crops in parts of the UK have been hit by one of the wettest winters, hampering pruning and weeding, followed by localized frost and hail in spring, growers said.

Heat waves in June and July caused scorching and caused some fruits to drop prematurely. The lack of rain in many regions and the fact that very little rain is expected until the harvest ends in early August also causes the fruits to be smaller.

Soft fruit growers said some fruits, such as blueberries and grapes, benefit from the extra warmth, but other fruits, such as strawberries, may have trouble making it through fall as overheated plants become stressed. Some crops such as leafy vegetables, potatoes, wheat and barley are also likely to be affected by hot drought.

Last year, prolonged hot weather and drought caused fruit crops to ripen two weeks earlier than normal. Vegetables that require a lot of water, such as carrots, potatoes and brassica, also struggled in the heat.

Harriet Prosser, agronomist at Suntory Beverage & Food, which owns Ribena, said: “Every year sees another weather record. Following last year’s drought, growers have experienced one of the wettest winters on record, localized frost and hail in the spring and now intense summer heat. It has been an extraordinarily challenging season for currant bushes.”

Jo Hilditch, president of trade association the Currant Foundation and a Herefordshire grower, said the group, together with Suntory and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Niab), was investing in practical research to help growers create healthier soils and more resilient crops. “This is about ensuring British blackcurrant production continues to thrive for generations to come,” he said.

“We are incredibly resilient as growers, but there is no doubt that we are farming in a very different climate to even a decade ago. Every season now seems to bring a new challenge, whether it is long periods of wet weather, late frosts or intense summer heat,” Hilditch added.

Even the relatively wet part of Britain may need to install reservoirs and irrigation facilities to cope with long periods of drought, he said.

Farmers are working with Suntory to develop new blackcurrant varieties that will produce more fruit without the need for prolonged cold temperatures in winter due to global warming.

A research program in partnership with Niab at East Malling in Kent will investigate how improving soil health can help blackcurrant bushes better withstand periods of environmental stress.

The project will evaluate the use of organic soil amendments such as wool, pasteurized manure and green waste products to improve soil organic matter, moisture retention and nutrient cycling.

Researchers will assess how these elements can aid soil health, plant establishment, bush vigor, yield and fruit quality to identify the most effective approaches to improving resilience in blackcurrant production in the UK.