There is nothing innocent about flowers
There is a dark side to the cut flower industry. Only 10% of the flowers sold in the UK are grown here, and the chemicals used on imported flowers are major issue.
What you should know
Agrochemicals are another seriously thorny problem for the cut flower industry.
Agrochemicals are widely used across the cut-flower industry, both to promote growth and reduce impacts of pests and diseases on production. There are many issues associated with the use of these agrochemicals, such as farm workers, production facilities and florists’ exposure to chemicals, which impact their physical and mental health.
One report revealed that 10,000 workers (mainly women) in Kenya fell sick every year due to unsafe, unhealthy and unsustainable work and workplaces in the Kenyan flower industry (Bek et al. 8).
Similarly research in Belgium detailed the impacts of chemical use on the other end of the chain, with levels of chemical residue causing impacts on florists’ health, in some cases exposing florists to endocrine disrupting chemicals over four times their recommended exposure rate (Toumi et al. 1).
Pesticides are causing devastating health and environmental issues world-wide. It is time to do something about it within our own industry.
Research
In 2023, Roisin was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, seeking to research whether the cut flower industry was prepared for a 2-degree warming world, and what we can do in the British cut flower industry to better prepare to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Roisin was awarded the HSBC award for Best Presentation at the Nuffield Conference, and also the award for Best Report. The full report can be read below, along with a short summary video of the findings, plus the recording of the more in-depth presentation.
Campaigning
Pesticides in cut flowers project - Coventry University
In summer 2026, Roisin was awarded £45,000 from Lund Trust to lead a project looking at chemicals on imported flowers. Working with Coventry University, this is the first publicly available piece of research in the UK of its kind, and will be launching the report, findings and a short film about this issue in June 2027.
Pesticide Action Network - Pesticides in cut flowers report
Working as a consultant for Pesticide Action Network, Roisin is currently writing a report looking at Pesticides in the International cut flower trade, pulling this into one single report that will launch later in 2026.
A Room in Bloom exhibition
A Room in Bloom was an exhibition of all local grown flowers, completely pesticide-free and nature friendly. An exhibition space filled with floral sculptures as well as paper flower making workshops, this exhibition was all about showcasing what environmentally and socially responsible flowers could do.