Sarah Pettitt National Farmers Union's (NFU) Horticulture Board Chairperson made a statement to the UK Onion and Carrot Conference that growers are aware of their responsibilities in producing what their customers and consumers want but that there are barriers which must be removed.

"Despite the day-to-day pressures facing British growers, we are among the leaders in global food production. Our industry now stands on the brink of opportunity - an opportunity founded from the recognition that it makes sense to increase the domestic production of fruit and vegetables in response to an increase in demand from our consumers. To secure success we will need to create and seize new opportunities through a continuing and better understanding of consumers, customers and the market as a whole. The government has a major role to play as well and that role is to work in partnership with us to remove the barriers to increasing domestic production so that we can provide the world-class produce that consumers have come to expect." NFU Horticulture Board Chairperson Sarah Pettitt.

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