Gardens
Europa Nostra to aid Victoria Tower Gardens impasse
London Parks and Gardens welcomes assistance from Europe’s largest civil society heritage network to resolve the Victoria Tower Gardens deadlock.
Regulation
Inheritance Tax reforms a ‘lose-lose’, says HTA
The Horticultural Trades Association warns that proposed reforms to inheritance tax will cost 1,300 sector jobs, slash investment and drain treasury tax revenues.
Regulation
MPs highlight support for UK Environmental Horticulture
A breakfast briefing, organised by the Environmental Horticulture Group relayed the importance of the UK’s environmental horticulture and landscape sector, as well as the key challenges and opportunities relevant to policy considerations.
Regulation
UK and EU have agreed new trade deal
The Prime Minister confirmed a new agreement with the European Union promises improved alignment on sanitary and phytosanitary, including plants.
Regulation
HTA calls for UK-EU leaders to negotiate an SPS agreement ahead of key summit
Timed ahead of the London Summit and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the HTA highlights the crucial opportunity to ease trade burdens.
Regulation
A united “NO” by creative industries to unauthorised use of data for AI training
Anti Copying in Design Chair & Co-founder, Dids Macdonald OBE, joined representatives from the creative industries ahead of the Report Stage of the Data (and Users) Bill in the House of Commons.
Environment
Panel event boosts momentum for Green Spaces Bill
Hosted at the Garden Museum in London, a live-broadcast panel on the future of urban and rural green spaces took place, focusing on the proposed Green Spaces Bill.
Regulation
Employment Rights Bill will put brakes on hiring
Survey of HR Directors of leading retailers reveals the scale of concerns about the impact of the Employment Rights Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords today.
HTA
Plants in Parliament
Organised by the Horticultural Trades Association, the “Plants in Parliament” event was attended by around 100 MPs, Peers and their teams, highlighting key industry issues.
Regulation
WaterUK calls for higher water charges for large gardens
Trade body, WaterUK is calling for compulsory water metering which would result in higher charges for high consumers of water, such as homes with larger gardens.
Regulation
Trade bodies call for urgent action to safeguard horticulture and fresh produce industry
The Horticultural Trades Association, the Fresh Produce Consortium, and British Potato Trade Association urgently call on the Cabinet Office, Treasury and Defra to secure UK’s horticulture and fresh produce industries.
Regulation
Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property: Friend, foe or don’t we know?
AI is the future, yet its reliance on the human-created data produced by the creative industries produce, raises questions about proper controls for fair usage. We asked, Laura Newbold, CEO of ACID to explain.
Laura Newbold Breen
Regulation
BNG could unlock support for developments
Survey by biodiversity tech start-up, Joe’s Blooms suggests that Biodiversity Net Gain rules could be key to unlocking NIMBY support for housebuilding.
Regulation
Boost for horticulture as tariff on bulbs suspended
The Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs have confirmed a tariff suspension on all imported bulbs, corms and rhizomes including orchids and hyacinths in flower.
Regulation
Spring Statement 2025: Key points
During her Spring Statement, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out the plans for the UK economy in the House of Commons.
Regulation
HTA outlines actions for effective biosecurity measures and border to Parliamentary Committee
The Horticultural Trades Association gave oral evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee as part of its inquiry into border biosecurity.
Regulation
Industry calls on government to pause Plant Health fees hike
The British Potato Trade Association, the Fresh Produce Consortium and the Horticultural Trades Association urge the government to review the ill-timed fee hikes.
Regulation
The Gardens Trust campaigns to oppose removal statutory consultee status
Following the Government’s announcement that the Gardens’ Trust will no longer be a statutory consultee within the English planning system, the Trust is fighting back.
Regulation
Simpler Recycling legislation
On Global Recycling Day, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) celebrates the industry’s progress towards greater recyclability but stresses the importance of implementation of the Simpler Recycling scheme.
Business
Spring Forecast: HTA calls for decisive government action
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Forecast, the Horticultural Trades Association calls for decisive action to support the environmental horticulture sector.
