'Big increase' in berry pickers

Berry farmers have reported a rise in the number of people picking their own fruit.

One farm in the Lothians said it had experienced an increase of as much as 30% on last year.

Farmers have told BBC Scotland the rise is due to the recession, fine weather and people becoming more food conscious.

Most of Scotland's soft fruit is picked professionally, with raspberries alone worth some £12m a year to the economy.

West Craigie Farm by South Queensferry has been growing berries for decades.

'Taste nicer'

Farmer John Sinclair, 41, said July is the middle of the soft fruit growing season, so there are currently plenty of strawberries, red currants, red and green gooseberries and ripe raspberries.

More and more people are coming here to pick their own fruit, he added.

Mr Sinclair said: "Last year was a poor summer, but historically it's still well up from the normal.

"I think it's just because people are maybe staying at home looking to save a bit of money, or it could even just be the public is becoming far more aware of where their fruit is coming from and they want to pick fruit for themselves."

Nettle sting

Picking your own fruit has been popular for generations. The fruit is fresher and cheaper than buying from the shops or supermarkets.

It takes time, a bit of bending and the odd nettle sting but there's the reward of choosing your own fruit and tasting the odd one as you go along.

Among the pickers at the farm was Joyce McGuire, who said: "They taste nicer, you know where they're grown, they're fresh and I do make a lot of jam with them as well and they are a little bit cheaper than in the shops."

While the increase in people picking their own fruit has been welcomed by farmers, there are challenges facing Scotland's soft fruit sector, with an EU ban on pesticides meaning they will have to use other methods to protect crops in future.

Mr Sinclair said it would make berries more expensive in years to come, whether they are being bought from a supermarket, farm shop or picked by hand.

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West Craigie Farm
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