{"id":7759,"date":"2026-09-04T16:32:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/?p=7759"},"modified":"2026-09-04T16:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:37:10","slug":"italian-horticultural-sector-mission-to-the-united-kingdom-italian-embassy-in-london-promotes-dialogue-with-uk-institutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/news\/dall_ambasciata\/2026\/09\/italian-horticultural-sector-mission-to-the-united-kingdom-italian-embassy-in-london-promotes-dialogue-with-uk-institutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Horticultural Sector Mission to the United Kingdom: Italian Embassy in London Promotes Dialogue with UK Institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the 1st to the 4th of September, a delegation of 16 Italian companies from the horticultural sector took part in a trade mission to the United Kingdom, organised by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in London and the Embassy of Italy in London, in close cooperation with ANVE \u2013 the Italian Association of Nursery Stock Exporters \u2013 and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA). The Italian delegation participated in a programme of meetings and visits with leading UK industry operators, with a key highlight being its participation in the Four Oaks Trade Show<\/strong>, held on 2 and 3 September in Macclesfield, Cheshire.<\/p>\n

The Italian delegation comprised companies from several of Italy\u2019s main horticultural production districts, specialising in a wide range of products, from Mediterranean and exotic plants to ornamental trees, citrus trees, olive trees, evergreen and deciduous species, perennials, ornamental grasses, bonsai, cacti, succulents and fruit plants.<\/p>\n

The United Kingdom continues to be a strategic market for the Italian horticultural industry. According to data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK ornamental horticultural production reached \u00a31.62 billion in 2025<\/strong>, of which more than \u00a31.1 billion<\/strong> was generated by the outdoor nursery stock segment. In the same year, UK imports of ornamental horticultural products reached \u00a31.55 billion<\/strong>, up 6.4%<\/strong>, driven in particular by growth in outdoor plants, imports of which rose from \u00a3149 million to \u00a3208 million<\/strong>. In the first half of 2026, UK imports of live plants from Italy reached approximately \u00a329.2 million<\/strong>, representing a 2.8% year-on-year increase<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The mission forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Italy\u2019s presence in a market characterised by significant demand and a high degree of specialisation. Now in its 54th edition, the Four Oaks Trade Show<\/strong> is one of the UK\u2019s leading professional events for the horticultural sector, bringing together growers, suppliers, distributors, garden centres, landscapers and specialist operators. At the event, Italian companies exhibiting in the Italy Pavilion<\/strong> showcased their products and developed valuable contacts with UK industry professionals.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, the Embassy of Italy in London promoted closer institutional and technical dialogue with UK authorities and industry representatives. In particular, on 2 September, the Embassy\u2019s Agricultural Attach\u00e9, in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency in London, organised a discussion between the Italian delegation and representatives of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)<\/strong>, together with ANVE and the Italian companies attending the event.<\/p>\n

The meeting focused on the main trade and phytosanitary issues<\/strong> affecting nursery stock trade between Italy and the United Kingdom, with particular attention to the opportunities expected to arise from the new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom, currently at an advanced stage of negotiation. The initiative provided a unique opportunity for direct and constructive dialogue between representatives of the Italian horticultural industry and the relevant UK plant health authorities, with the aim of addressing market-access issues frequently encountered by exporters at the UK border. The discussion reflected a general sense of confidence about the future, particularly regarding the prospect of overcoming the phytosanitary restrictions that have significantly affected the sector since the introduction of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) in 2024.<\/p>\n

On the afternoon of 2 September, the seminar \u201cClimate Change: The Impact on Nursery Production\u201d<\/strong> was also held, featuring contributions from Moreno Pinto<\/strong>, President of ANVE, and Luigi Pagliani<\/strong>, representative of the European Nursery Stock Association (ENA), and moderated by Matt Appleby<\/strong>, editor and correspondent at HortWeek<\/em>. The discussion focused on the impact of climate change on nursery production and, in particular, on the potential of water-wise Mediterranean species<\/strong> to help enhance the resilience of the British landscape in the face of increasingly frequent drought conditions.<\/p>\n

The programme also included visits to leading UK horticultural businesses, including Bents Garden and Home & Nursery, Brentwood Moss Nurseries\/Lanes Landscapes, Les Halman Nurseries \u2013 Quality Ornamentals, David Austin Roses, Boningale Nurseries and Fullbrook Nursery\/G-Scapes<\/strong>. The visits provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of production and distribution models, market dynamics and potential areas for future cooperation.<\/p>\n

The mission forms part of the broader programme of activities undertaken by the Embassy of Italy in London and the Italian Trade Agency in London to promote the Italian horticultural sector and strengthen its presence in the UK market, building on its key strengths: a high degree of specialisation, a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation, and a long-standing shared cultural appreciation of the design and management of green spaces.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ $\"\"$ $\"\"$ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the 1st to the 4th of September, a delegation of 16 Italian companies from the horticultural sector took part in a trade mission to the United Kingdom, organised by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in London and the Embassy of Italy in London, in close cooperation with ANVE \u2013 the Italian Association of Nursery […]","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":7748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[26,21,19,18,20,23],"class_list":["post-7759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cooperazione-allo-sviluppo","tag-diplomazia-ambientale","tag-diplomazia-culturale","tag-diplomazia-economica","tag-diplomazia-scientifica","tag-italiani-nel-mondo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7759"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7766,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759\/revisions\/7766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblondra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}