UNTIL around 80 years ago, most of the apples eaten by consumers in Scotland were grown right here.

Apple growing had been carried out on a large scale in abbeys, monasteries and estates from as early as the 12th century.

But the decline of the practice and growth in imports of fresh produce mean as much as 70% of the apples eaten in the UK – a market worth around £230 million – are brought in from abroad.

Now a project aims to see commercial apple growing take root once again, and put local varieties like Lass O’Gowrie, Galloway Pippin, Scotch Bridget and the Bloody Ploughman back on supermarket shelves.

If successful, it could see new producers take a big bite out of the fruit market.

Led by Social Association Scotland, there’s a new Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS) group working to encourage farmers to diversify and embrace this popular crop.

Amanda Brown of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS), who is facilitating the project, said: “The intention for the group is to grow Scottish apples for Scottish consumption, like we saw back in the 1930s and 40s before the demise of the sector.

“As well as being good for the industry, wouldn’t it be great to get kids eating nutrient-rich apples grown locally?”

The scheme is the brainchild of Catherine Drummond-Herdman, of Megginch Castle Orchard in the Carse of Gowrie. She was born and brought up there but the orchard had become “heavily overgrazed” and reduced to around 90 trees until she fenced out deer and rabbits and replanted “old, local varieties” 15 years ago.

Now there are more than 1400 producing apples and pears.

She said: “Research on apple growing currently comes from the south, but apple varieties are so site-specific that if someone plants a new orchard with the wrong variety it will simply fail.

“Collaboration, not competition, and the sharing of ideas and information about different varieties is going to help everybody.

“As well as Scotland becoming self-sufficient in growing all our eating apples, I would like to see a ‘grown-in-Scotland’ mark, so that customers can be confident they’re eating apples which have genuinely been grown in Scotland.”

Any growers interested in getting involved should email saos@saos.coop, marked “FAO Amanda Brown”.

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