The Scottish horticultural sector, which is worth worth up to £50 million a year, could be wiped out in weeks by the coronavirus lockdown, a trade association has warned.
Businesses producing ornamental crops such as summer bedding plants employ an estimated 700 people across Scotland.
The fall in demand for plants could cost £687 million in British plant sales by the end of June if retailers remain closed and their stock is written off, according to the Horticultural Trades Association.
James Barnes, the association chairman, said the timing of the lockdown would hit businesses who had stock ready for sale this spring. “The shutdown came just as growers’ stock levels hit their peak. All the retail outlets have been locked down and there is no
