By Laurent Beavis A farmer says he’s having to tear down his apple orchards because production is no longer financially viable. James Smith, a fifth-generation fruit grower who runs Loddington Farm in Maidstone, has ripped up three orchards after seeing trade drop from 80% to 4%. He has been in the business for over 20 years, but says growers cannot afford to invest in new orchards because they have such low returns on their fruit. When he joined the farm, 98% of their income was from apples and pears. The remaining orchards are currently being converted to organic production and there has bee…
