The government has scrapped plans for a horticulture strategy in England, it has emerged.

Ministers had promised to put together a plan for the sector in the government’s wider food strategy, which was published last year. Growers are currently grappling with huge rises in input costs and labour shortages.

The horticulture strategy was meant to examine the roles of small, large and emerging growing models and drive high-tech, controlled environment horticulture to increase domestic production.

In a written question to the Defra Secretary, Labour’s shadow climate change minister Kerry McCarthy asked: “When the decision was taken not to develop a horticulture strategy; for what reasons the department is not developing a strategy; and who was consulted on that decision.”

In his answer, farming minister Mark Spencer said the government is “committed to an increasingly prosperous horticulture sector” but continued: “We will not be developing a published strategy for the horticulture sector as originally envisaged in the government food strategy.

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“The sector operates in a complex, ever-evolving commercial and political landscape as such we are prioritising policy work that maximises impact through multiple avenues, this includes establishing the seasonal worker visa route, the labour review, automation, the Farming Innovation Programme and the Farming Investment Fund and working across Government on energy support and planning.”

The decision has been met with disappointment from growers and sustainable farming campaigners.

Writing on social media, the Soil Association said: “This is a major disappointment, coming at a time when citizens are facing empty shelves. Our farmers are struggling with fuel and electricity costs, labour shortages and dangerously low profits – with many considering throwing in the towel.

“With a delayed growing season in the UK and the threat of droughts abroad it’s likely we’ll face the same issues again. We want to see UK fruit and veg production doubled to support British growers and healthy diets – this is impossible unless we take a joined-up approach to farming.”