Mansfields: Crop and Weather Summary

May 2007

We needed rain and we certainly got it in May- approximately 105mm in the South East! According to the Met Office in May there was well above average rainfall across the majority of the UK, with some parts of the country experiencing over 200% of average May rainfall. The weather changed during the second week with dull cold spells and temperatures as low as 10°C during the night. This has not been good for the crop set on apples and pears and the crop has not set as much as we thought. Nevertheless the trees look healthy and should produce good crop. Strawberries are going strong with a high percentage of first class fruit. Cherries are still hanging on and it will not be until mid June before we can say with confidence that they will remain. As for the plums, we are expecting a full crop on Opal and Victoria varieties, and will be thinning in June

About Us

Located in Kent, the Garden of England, Mansfields is one of the largest growers and packers of top, stone and soft fruit with over 35 years of experience. The family run business is the biggest UK apple grower and the largest UK cherry grower, whilst also growing pears, plums and strawberries in significant volumes. Mansfields is one of the only UK top fruit operations that is expanding both fruit production and packing facilities. The company comprises of over 3,000 acres of top fruit (dessert apples, culinary apples and pears), stone fruit (cherries and plums) and soft fruit (strawberries), which are grown on 15 locations in Kent at varied geographic locations in order to extend harvest seasons and to mitigate weather related risk. The main storage and packing site is located at Nickle Farm on the outskirts of Chartham village, six miles south of Canterbury on the A28

Corporate Social Responsibility

Mansfields seeks to recognise our responsibilities to our suppliers, customers, and staff and the way we impact on our social and physical environment. We have adopted a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy (CSR) to position ourselves as a leading company in the provision of English fruit that meets the very high social and environmental expectations of our customers. Our CSR strategy details our visions, governance, structure and management systems and our key targets and objectives. We have set objectives and targets against our key environmental, social and economic priorities.