Cheap flowers 'bleeding Kenya dry' - 27/02/09

Biologists are urging shoppers to consider buying sustainable products for Mother's Day after research suggested Kenya is being "bled dry" by the cut-price flower trade.

Dr David Harper from the University of Leicester has warned that cheap flowers are being grown by companies with no concern for the environment, which is having a detrimental effect on the ecology of Lake Naivasha, which is at the centre of the country's horticultural industry.

The conservation biologist has studied the trade for more than 25 years and is urging UK shoppers to think twice before buying roses for Mother's Day or Valentine's Day and instead opt for a sustainable and special Mothers Day gift.

He said: "Roses that come cheap are grown by companies that have no concern for the environment, who cut corners and avoid legislation.

"In reality, they have come from Kenya where the industry is, literally, draining that country dry."

Alternatively he says people looking for a special mothers day gift could buy flowers from a sustainable source or opt for a UK grown tree.

He added some companies do take a responsible approach, but "sadly, there are not enough of them".

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