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Worker exploitation in UK flower industry avoided
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Think smallest first when policy-making, FPB tells Government
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HORTEC sets out Kenyan stall
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Play fair when enforcing music at work laws, says FPB
Read More.
Florist unhappy over 'mean' Valentine's Day fine
Read More.
Valentines drug bust causes lovers mayhem
How a florist turned red to blue to say I love you
Read More.
Barclaycard reveals flowers are Valentine’s last minute favourite
Read More.
Colombia condemns use of flowers for drug trafficking
Read More.
Bournemouth florist fights off armed robber
Read More.
Jellyfish scoop Blossom and Twigs
Read More.
Members approve BFA acquisition of Society of Floristry
Read More.
John Butterworth leaves Flowers-by-Florists
Read More.
BFA Mother's Day Campaign
Read More.
New Dutch flower show
Read More.
Malaysian romance hit
Read More.
FWTA Chairman makes International TV
Read More.
FPC welcomes Oxfam report
Read More.
Hospital flower ban challenged in esteemed Journal
Read More.
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Worker exploitation in UK flower industry avoided
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) have tightened their grip on gang masters supplying this year’s flower picking season, by revoking a licence before the season began.
Having seen serious cases of exploitation over the last two years, the GLA have worked with industry to ensure that problems are uncovered and dealt with early to avoid a repeat situation this year.
This has led to the immediate revocation of Lincolnshire based Powerstaff Recruitment Limited, who were found to be employing Jonathan Beckson, who had his licence revoked in 2008 following serious exploitation and threats, and Ms Magdalena Gojtowska a known associate of Mr Beckson who herself was found to be influencing a number of businesses who had their licences revoked in 2009.
Mr David Quinn of Powerstaff could not demonstrate an understanding of running the Spalding based gangmaster business and openly admitted he leant heavily on Mr Beckson. This led the GLA to believe he was being used as a front to allow previously banned gang masters back into the industry.
Mr Quinn’s business had been trying to source contracts to supply workers for the current flower picking season in Devon and Cornwall. Ms Gojtowska and Mr Beckson had previously supplied labour during the flower-picking season.
Paul Whitehouse, Chairman of the GLA said “The actions of the flower industry and especially some of the big suppliers is a model that should be followed elsewhere. They have worked proactively with the GLA to ensure that the industry is no longer tarnished by exploitation of workers.
“We have banned these people from supplying workers in GLA sectors for a good reason and we cannot allow them to find a back-door route to continue. They have a history of serious exploitation and it is our job to protect workers”.
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Think smallest first when policy-making, FPB tells Government
Legislators need to think smallest first in order to safeguard the future of Britain’s small firms, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB) who argue that policies are often thought up with only big businesses in mind.
The FPB believes little consideration is given to the disproportionate impact new rules and regulations have on smaller firms, which often employ just a handful of people and lack the expertise needed to comply with the law.
And with much less time and money available to understand and interpret the UK’s ever-changing regulations, it is increasingly difficult for SMEs to compete with their larger rivals.
This, the FPB believes, is an alarming trend that could lead to Britain’s economy being dominated by large companies, depriving consumers of choice and variety.
The FPB submitted its points to the ‘Thinking Business in Policy’ interim report review, which is looking into the effects policy-making has on business.
FPB policy representative Matt Goodman said “We believe that, through improved understanding of the nature of small businesses and by making much more accurate assessments of the implications of the legislation, decision-makers can make informed judgments about the advantages and disadvantages of policies”.
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HORTEC sets out Kenyan stall
As the cut flower and vegetable exporters of the East African region begin to see some improvement in trading conditions, ECO are finalising preparations for the biennial Hortec trade fair.
The show, which brings producers, growers and exporters face-to-face with local and international suppliers and buyers to strengthen the supply chain, takes place in Nairobi on 24th to 26th March 2010 at the KICC, Nairobi, Kenya
With an expected attendance of over 700 owners, senior executives and top management from across the region it will give Kenyan companies and others from across the region access to potential business partners, some offering access to new technology and expertise in horticulture production. And with growers taking part for the first time to exhibit fresh cut flowers, vegetables and other produce –primarily destined for the export market - the event also opens up new prospects for International buyers.
ECO Director Charles Campbell Clause said, “This is a great opportunity for the Kenyan Horticulture and Floriculture industry. We are aiming to keep this an on-going long-term opportunity to boost two-way trade between East Africa, in particular Kenya, and the rest of the world. We are delighted to be able to work with so many exhibitors on a major project like this – one that could benefit so many people in various different ways.”
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Play fair when enforcing music at work laws, says FPB
Small business owners, many of whom are paying hundreds of pounds so they can legally play music at work, are now able to complain to an ombudsman if they believe they have been treated unfairly by the Performing Rights Society (PRS).
Under the law, business owners have to pay if their staff or customers are able to listen to music played in a range of formats – including hold music recorded on telephones – even if this is not for commercial reasons.
The ombudsman was recommended in a consultation into the new PRS code of practice following a number of complaints from small businesses about the organisation, including less-than-courteous phone calls and unexplained price increases.
However, members of the Forum of Private Business (FPB) have reported they had no idea the service, which was launched in July 2009, existed at all.
“We have received call after call from concerned members complaining about their treatment at the hands of the PRS and the first they have heard about this avenue to air their complaints is when we tell them about it,” said the FPB’s Policy Representative Matt Goodman.
“A PRS licence is a legal requirement and of course an ombudsman is a good way of addressing small business concerns but it is already difficult to accept yet another cost to businesses. Without a well-understood model such as the TV licence, the frustrations of many small businesses are only compounded by the lack of clarity and information.”
The FPB is concerned that the Society's guidance is badly constructed and confusing. There are over 40 price tariffs on its website, listing the many different costs of purchasing a licence, depending on various factors such as the size of a business.
In addition, many frustrated members have contacted the FPB’s member helpline to complain that often PRS staff themselves do not understand the pricing structure, and even appear to have an agenda to catch firms out.
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Florist unhappy over 'mean' Valentine's Day fine
A florist has criticised “mean” council officers who fined him on Valentine’s Day. Steven Bibb, who runs Fenners grocery and florist in Tranquil Vale, Blackheath, put out extra flowers on the pavement in front of his shop that day - the busiest of the year for sales. But according to reports on the News Shopper website, Lewisham Council inspectors told him he had taken up too much space on the pavement, breaching his licence and landing him with a fine of £100.
Mr Bibb, who claimed he was only “a few inches” over his allotted space said “It’s funny how they decided to come down and see me on Valentine’s Day - a Sunday. That’s the one day of the year when I might have more flowers for sale than usual. It’s a little bit mean. I’ve survived so far against all odds, to do this when traders are going through a difficult time doesn’t really help.”
In a strange twist Lewisham Council recently wrote to all businesses in the borough, saying they will be exempt from their forecourt licence payment for March. But Mr Bibb said this would only save him £14.10 saying, “They’re giving with one hand and taking away with the other.” A spokesman for Lewisham Council said: “For health and safety reasons, there are limits on the amount of space that stock can take up on pavements and footpaths that are used by the public. Unfortunately, the stock from Fenners went over the agreed licensed area, which incurs a fine. We appreciate that Valentine’s Day is a busy day of the year for florists but we do have a duty to ensure that footpaths are safe and accessible to the public at all times."
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Valentine’s drug bust causes lovers mayhem
How a florist turned red to blue to say I love you
Two years ago Fiona Penney, who owns Sunflower in Weymouth, bought some super long 6’ roses as a special promotion for Valentines. Unfortunately there was a problem with delivery and her customers were left with shorter versions.
Undeterred, when her Dutch wholesaler said he’d found another source for 2010, she decided to have another go and set about promoting the whoppers everywhere she could and selling every single one of them.
Trouble is, while they arrived in Amsterdam, the roses didn’t make it to Fiona this time either. Because, nestling amongst the super long stems, were 4 kilos of the finest cocaine. Understandably the customs people weren’t letting the coke or the flowers go anywhere and Fiona found herself in the unenviable position of having to tell dozens of customers … including a chap who’d been let down the last time … that the whoppers were no more!
“It was a bit of a nightmare. Not only did I have to tell the customers I’d been let down again and why but the papers got hold of it which meant we were assailed by the press. Great publicity in some ways but when a chap shouted across the supermarket aisle ‘Hey it’s the flower lady, got any coke’ I confess I was hard pressed to smile.”
The biggest problem though was how to please all the customers who had ordered something different, and paid a decent price for the privilege when the flowers were being incinerated. Enter the Blue rose. “It wouldn’t normally be my first choice but it was the longest and most different rose I could find. But when I tried it out on a few of my let down customers they grabbed them and were delighted. Then we went out on general sale and I kid you not they flew out of the shop and I restocked every day. In fact, I reckon if I could have got them I would have sold them 10 times over because people wanted something different.”
Which is why Fiona has now changed her ideas about Mothers Day and is looking to introduce a range of Rainbow Rose designs to the mix. “I hadn’t actually thought of Rainbow Roses but as your Editor says they are happy and friendly and that’s what Mothers Day is all about. Not only will I be different but it’s a great marketing hook as well.” All in all a real ‘happy ever after’ story. Evil drugs stopped in their tracks … a whole new sales opportunity opened up for Fiona as a result.
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Barclaycard reveals flowers are Valentine’s last minute favourite
Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance, which allows 87,000 UK retailers to accept debit and credit card payments, confirmed in their latest report that British shoppers waited until the last minute to purchase flowers for loved ones.
Purchases of flowers on Valentine’s Day itself were up 14.5% versus the previous Sunday, although in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day flower purchases were down 2.7% compared to the same period last year. Dining in restaurants was up 15.4% compared to last year with £77m being spent in restaurants in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
On the day itself, £16.3m was spent, which was over 10% higher compared to the previous Sunday. Spend in confectioners also saw an increase of 11.1% in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day 2010.
Jewellery purchases however were down in comparison to the same period last year, with a 3.4% decrease in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
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Colombia condemns use of flowers for drug trafficking
Following news that Dutch customs officials have seized 4 kilos of cocaine packed in flower boxes sent from Colombia, Asocolflores, the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters, issued a public statement rejecting such criminal acts and their support of national and international authorities in the investigation into the situation.
Their view is that from every perspective this act is a threat to the good name of Colombian flower exporters and their workers, who have, over the past four decades worked honestly and ethically to make Colombia the foremost fresh-cut flower producer for export around the world.
President of Asocolflores, Augusto Solano, said, “Colombian floriculture, the top-ranking non-traditional agricultural export from Colombia, which generates over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, has worked closely with local authorities at every link in the export chain to ensure that flowers shipped from Colombia are not used by unscrupulous people interested in using the supply chain for illegal activities.”
Asocolflores is a founder member of the Business Alliance for Secure Commerce (BASC), an organization that certifies good practices for export security, and, with its member companies, actively participates in designing policies to maintain the integrity of exported products. Solano continued: “To discover that anyone has breached our stringent efforts is both abhorrent and unacceptable to our industry, our country and most importantly our customers. We will now make even stronger efforts to ensure this does not happen again.”
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Bournemouth florist fights off armed robber
It’s obviously all go in Dorset. While Weymouth florists deal with drug busts, Bournemouth florists have been busy fighting off would be robbers. However as reported ion the bbc.co.uk website, the would-be robber fled Heffords flower shop empty-handed after the owner hit him on the hand with a roll of cellophane.
The man entered Hefford's Flowers, in Bournemouth, at about 1820 GMT on Saturday, asking for a bunch of red roses for Valentine's Day. He then pulled out a screwdriver, threatened co-owner Karen Hefford and demanded she give him cash. Her husband Keith, who was in the back of the shop, then attacked the man with the roll of cellophane.
Mr Hefford said he acted on instinct. "I just looked for something, anything, near me on the work desk. At the time there was no fear at all, it was very much anger. He was threatening my wife and he was invading our property. They had obviously thought a flower shop was a soft target but I would have loved to have been in the car when he got in to see how he tried to explain he had just been beaten up by a florist with a roll of cellophane."
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Jellyfish leaves other agencies behind to scoop Blossom and Twigs paid search work
Blossom and Twigs have hired Jellyfish to ramp up its paid search marketing in a bid to become the UK’s favourite online florist and make flowers an ‘affordable luxury’.
Set up by Peter Bakker, previously senior manager for Google Adwords, Benelux, and Alejandro Uribe, managing director of flower importer Freshlife Marketing, Jellyfish has been tasked with increasing Blossom & Twigs visibility in search engine results rankings as it bids to win market share from rivals.
With a 100% satisfaction, no quibble guarantee Blossom & Twigs believe its high-quality flowers last longer than those distributed by other online florists due to minimising the time between the moment the flowers are picked and the moment they arrive.
Commenting on their choice Peter Bakker, head of marketing at Blossms and Twigs said: “We put a lot of time into selecting our partner to run online campaigns, and Jellyfish scored highest on professionalism and past results. The agency shares our passion for great user experience, great products and great service,” whileAlejandro Uribe commented: “Jellyfish demonstrated the capacity to adapt to the needs of small business and start-ups, an important attribute for entrepreneurs who need quality agencies without a rigid one size fits all approach.”
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Members approve BFA acquisition of Society of Floristry
British Florist Association (BFA) and Society of Floristry members voted in favour of the proposal for the BFA to acquire the Society at their respective EGM/AGM's on 3rd and 7th February.
BFA President Mark Ward said: “This is excellent news, not just for members of BFA and Society, but for the industry as a whole. This only serves to strengthen the already strong voice of the BFA. We look forward to the launch of the new Training and Education Committee in April, which will ensure the strengths and experiences of Society in this important area are utilised.”
Mark added: “We do expect a crossover of those who are currently joint Society and BFA members, and these will be dealt with once we obtain the Society membership list on March 1st.” From this date, invitation to renew memberships as they expire will come from BFA.
The purchase of Society of Floristry will take place on 1st March 2010, at which time all Society members will automatically become members of BFA.
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John Butterworth leaves Flowers-by-Florists
It has been confirmed, with regret, that John Butterworth has left the employment of Flowers-by-Florists Limited. Commenting on the move, FbF told fandwb: “The company continues to build its presence and has enjoyed significant growth in membership numbers and order volumes throughout 2009. Nevertheless, just as it has proven a difficult year for everyone in the floral industry, our company has experienced complex challenges in moving to the next level. Following strategic differences, John and the company have mutually agreed to go their separate ways.”
Their spokesman continued; “Our mission remains unchanged; we give our continued commitment to serve the needs of independent retail florists in a manner that compliments individuality, creativity and profitability at the local level. Also, to enable our florists to deliver a high level of control and good service for orders delivered through the network, thereby facilitating the same level of personal service for their customer’s orders whether delivered locally or afar. Put simply, we remain to facilitate the delivery of 'Flowers by Florists'."
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BFA Mother's Day Campaign
From 1 March for two weeks, BFA will be appearing on 1 and 2 litre milk from Robert Wiseman Dairies, specially branded for Mother's Day, with a competition to win a bouquet of flowers every month for a year, delivered by their local BFA florist.
Robert Wiseman Dairies is one of the largest fresh milk suppliers in the UK, now producing more than 1 in every 4 pints of milk consumed in the UK. Packs will be available from 1st March, UK wide and sold mainly in convenience stores.
This forms part of the BFA’s consumer campaign, encouraging the consumer to use their local BFA florist and promoting the ability to “find a florist” on the BFA website. This is also promoted at all the major RHS shows through 2010. See the BFA website News Section for a sneak peak at the labels.
BFA President Mark Ward said, “this is a brilliant opportunity for promoting florists at a key time of the year, my local corner shop sells Robert Wiseman milk, and I will be encouraging my customers to look out for the special Mother's Day labels”.
Competition entrants will be directed to a competition page on www.wiseman-dairies.co.uk and also through to the British Florist Association website, where full terms and conditions of entry will be available.
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New flower show to replace Hortifair
Following the decision by Hortifair organisers not to move dates, as requested by many exhibitors, to tie in with the increasingly popular Aalsmeer Show, a new show has been launched.
The International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF) will be entirely dedicated to the promotion of the international Floriculture Industry and will take place from Wednesday November 3 to Friday November 5 in Expo Haarlemmermeer, Vijfhuizen, Holland. Originally designed to host the renowned 2002 Floriade, this state of the art venue is just 15 minutes from Aalsmeer which means delegates can easily take in both shows with minimum hassle and expense. Add in the fact that many exhibitors will now be able to host open houses and a trip will be even more worthwhile.
Commenting on the decision, General Manager Dick van Raamsdonk, General Manager of HPP Exhibitions told fandwb.com: “For several years there has been a desire for an Holland based exhibition that was totally focussed on the flower and plant sector rather than simply a tag on to another show. As organisers of flower shows around the world not only do we understand the sector but what makes an exhibition worthwhile for the visitors. We’ll be using that experience to make IFTF the perfect partner for the Aalsmeer show so that the first week of November 2010 really becomes the world focus for the flower industry.”
More information about the new show will be released over the coming months, in the meantime mark the dates in your diary or log on to www.iftf.nl for regular updates.
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Malaysian romance hit by New Year celebrations
According to a report in The Star, Malaysia’s leading English daily, some florists expect a 20% drop in flower sales due to the fact Chinese New Year starts on February 14th this year.
Flower shop owner Ann Yong, who has been in the business for more than 12 years, said sales were expected to dip next month as the festivals were usually celebrated separately. “I have ordered fewer flowers because most people will be going back to their hometowns for Chinese New Year and that means they will not be buying flowers for Valentine’s on Feb 14,” she said. Yong said people would usually demand for roses on Valentine’s Day and mu dan (peony) for Chinese New Year but demand for both blooms had dropped significantly.
Another florist, Koh Ai Moi, said she usually catered for office workers who ordered flowers to be delivered to their loved ones, but so far, there were no orders yet. “Usually, I will get a number of orders a month prior to the celebration, but this year it is different and I’m anticipating a 20% drop in sales. However another florist, Tan Ah Moi said she was not worried about the drop in orders from locals because most of her customers were from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur."
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FWTA Chairman makes International TV
To tie in with the Bank of England’s announcement on interest rates, BBC World Service filmed Jon Adams, owner of Jane Adams in Rickmansworth and Chairman of the Flower Import Trade Association, to discover how the Euro fluctuation was impacting on businesses. Interviewed by Brian Milligan of the BBC Business and Economics division, Jon highlighted the price pressures the flower industry faced when sourcing European grown product and why British and South American products were now a far better option. To see the programme click here.
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FPC welcomes Oxfam report
The Fair Miles report produced by Oxfam and the International Institute for Environment and Development has been welcomed as a step towards encouraging UK consumers to consume a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, irrespective of their country of origin, and to be reassured that their food choices are ethical and sustainable.
Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), said: “We welcome the Fair Miles report, which recognises FPC’s work to highlight the complexities of the food supply chain and its social, political and economic repercussions, and sensibly aims to capture the true impact of food production and consumption.
“We need to tackle climate change, but the concept of ‘food miles’ is confusing. Let’s look at the carbon footprint of the whole product supply chain and provide consumers with robust advice with which to make informed decisions.
"Research shows that some imported products are grown in less greenhouse-gas intensive ways than the same products in the UK, with savings from greater efficiency outweighing the potential negative impacts of additional transport. There is no need to restrict choice by excluding imported produce on the basis of its carbon footprint. We can enjoy a wide variety of fresh produce all year round, irrespective of its origin."
The Fair Miles report considers the ethical dimension of trade in fresh produce between developing countries and the UK, which is often neglected within the ‘food miles’ debate. Agricultural growth is essential to economic growth in Africa; imports to the UK from Kenya alone are worth £100 million, with trade providing direct employment for 135,000 people. There is no evidence that fewer aircraft would fly if less imported fruit and vegetables were eaten, as at least 60 per cent of airfreighted fresh produce is brought to the UK in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft. Total airfreighted imports of fruit and vegetables account for 0.2 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.
Jenney added: “There are massive variations between the carbon footprint of Africa (1-2 tonnes of carbon per head) and that of the UK (11-14t per head) and the US (22t per head). We must put ill-founded concerns about the impact of transportation of fresh produce from developing countries in their proper perspective, and balance them against the need to address rising obesity levels and poor diets across Europe, as well as assisting the development of local economies in Africa. To encourage the UK consumer to eat 5 A DAY we need a wide variety of fresh produce regardless of origin or means of transport.”
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Hospital flower ban challenged in esteemed Journal
According to a paper published in the British Medical Journal, patients would be better off if British hospitals let them have flowers. The paper, which appears in the Christmas issue of the world renowned journal, disputes the arguments hospitals in the United Kingdom have made for banning or discouraging bedside flowers.
Hospitals have claimed that the water may harbour potentially dangerous bacteria, the blooms may compete with patients for oxygen, and the bouquets may be a health and safety risk around medical equipment. However, Giskin Day, a course director at the Imperial College medical school who, with medical student Naiome Carter, wrote the paper, suggests staff inconvenience may be a bigger reason for the bans.
They surveyed medical literature and talked to patients and staff at two London hospitals, the Royal Brompton Hospital and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, about their attitudes towards flowers. The authors said that while a 1973 study found high levels of bacteria in flower water, since then no researchers have found evidence of a hospital-acquired infection caused by flower water. However hospitals in the UK began banning flowers in 1996.
The further suggestion that flowers compete for patients' oxygen at night was also dismissed by the authors because studies had proven that flowers made little difference to what's in the air in wards. In addition, the paper argued that flowers posed no greater risk to medical equipment than food or drink containers around bedsides, whilst the patients who were interviewed said they enjoyed the flowers because they made them feel better.
A previous study found 80 per cent of 39 nurses from a range of workplaces were not in favour of flowers, mainly because of the amount of work involved in changing the water and cleaning up spills, an opinion that Day and Carter also found in their interviews.
Hope of recovery
Writing an editorial to accompany the main feature, Simon Cohn, a medical anthropologist at Cambridge University noted that hospital gifts such as flowers, fruit or chocolate, are ephemeral in nature, saying: "There is something reassuring about them lasting a finite period, echoing the hope that soon the patient will recover and head home. A patient looking at a bouquet doesn’t just see the flowers but the person who gave them. And a nurse or doctor is often part of this, remarking on the gifts in small talk, and consequently becoming entangled in a comforting form of interaction."
The decision to ban flowers "seems to reflect a much broader shift towards a model of care that has little time or place for more messy and nebulous elements," Simon concluded.
Commenting on the paper Caroline Marshall-Foster, Managing Editor of Florist & Wholesale Buyer, said: “This is possibly one of the most exciting pieces of news to hit the industry and could be used as a real boost for a concerted campaign to get flowers reaccepted into hospitals. The medical evidence that flowers and plants can speed up recovery is as strong as the evidence that infection is not an issue. However, by repeatedly sending in hand-tieds the industry has created an unwarranted level of concern and irritation and we now need to leverage this paper to change attitudes. Until we show hospitals there is a practical alternative they will continue to maintain their position.
Caroline continued: “Given the power of this paper I will be relaunching our Operation Hospital project in the new year and hope that the whole industry will give it their full support.”
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