Yesterday, the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening and Horticulture Group (APPGHG) held its inaugural meeting in Parliament, electing co-chairs Valerie Vaz MP and Baroness Fookes, as well as officers including Lord Taylor, Sarah Dyke, and fifteen other accepted MPs. The inaugural meeting under the new Parliament provided an opportunity to welcome new members and meet the Environmental Horticulture Group (EHG) representatives.
The APPGHG works with the EHG and other industry representatives to advocate for policy change in areas such as planning reform to ensure there are enough green urban spaces; trade and export strategy; green jobs and skills definition; and working with the government to ensure that environmental horticulture is part of its economic growth strategy.
The group provides a valuable opportunity for the industry to engage with interested Parliamentarians. Over the last year, this has included parliamentary receptions, briefings on the House of Lords Horticulture Inquiry, and visits to the Chelsea Flower Show.
Valerie Vaz, Co-chair of APPG and MP, said: “I am honoured to be re-elected as Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening and Horticulture Group, and I look forward to working with the officers and members of the group. I see a particularly important role for the group as we scrutinise the new Government’s attitude to Horticulture, both ‘ornamental’ and edible. I shall be looking to see how seriously the Government takes this sector’s vital role in improving the environment and the health and wellbeing of people. In doing so, I shall call on the expertise of the excellent Environmental Horticulture Group, representing several key players in the industry and charity. I shall also measure the work of the Government by reference to the many recommendations made by the House of Lords Select Committee Report on the Horticultural Sector published in November 2023.”
Representing the EHG, Jennifer Pheasey, Director of Public Affairs of the Horticultural Trades Association, said: “We welcome the cross-party support from long-standing industry champions and new parliamentarians at the inaugural APPG meeting. As a sector spread across the four nations of the UK, with 30 million gardeners, invaluable green spaces, and a driver of green economic growth, we know the success of the sector is in the interest of parliamentarians from all parties and both houses. Today’s meeting was an opportunity to discuss the industry’s top issues, focusing on cross-border trade and questions on a range of topics. The EHG is looking forward to continuing its support for the APPG in the coming months and years. Given the sector’s environmental and economic benefits, it seeks a stronger voice and more champions for environmental horticulture, landscaping, and arboriculture to the heart of Westminster.”
In attendance alongside Parliamentarians were Whitehouse Communications and HTA member Henry Williams from You Garden, who provided first-hand insights into the impacts of cross-border trade issues.