For the first time this growing season, Place UK in Tunstead, Norfolk, has been using tying machines to secure more than 800,000 raspberry and blackberry canes, saving labour time, costs and enhancing efficiencies on the fruit farm.
After trialling the INFACO AT1000 in 2024, and quickly experiencing the benefits, Place UK invested in six tying machines for the 2025 season.
Now, as the fruit harvesting season draws to a close, with the final raspberries picked in November, Dan Yordanov, Place UK’s Head of Fresh, says introducing this new automated way of working has transformed what was a simple but vital and traditionally labour-intensive task.
“Prior to using the handheld tying machines, several members of the farm team would cut 30cm lengths of string by hand, before manually tying each raspberry and blackberry cane to two wires at the top and bottom of every plant, as well as using plastic clips.
“The tying is a vital task for our blackberry and raspberry crops – it ensures that each plant is exposed to optimum light, and the berries are presented well to the pickers.
“With 38 hectares of cane fruits across our farm in Tunstead, producing approximately 400 tonnes of raspberries and 350 tonnes of blackberries every year, it’s no small feat to secure each one of these plants by hand.
“Tying the canes has always been a very necessary process, to produce high volumes of premium cane fruits, but very time-consuming.
“At Place UK, we’re always looking to adopt new innovations, and move to new and better ways of doing things and the tying machine is a perfect example. Introducing these handheld machines means we can secure the canes twice as quickly as before.
“We also take great pride in our high standards at Place UK, and our care for the environment. Before, we would meticulously go around the farm, searching for and collecting any discarded pieces of string, now, that worry, and work is removed.
“And because the handheld tying machine uses a biodegradable paper coated wire, after a year of the ties being on the canes, they decompose. There is nothing for us to collect or discard of, resulting in less work and labour time at the end of the season too. Another benefit – we no
longer have to worry about strings falling off the canes and getting tangled in our grass cutters, for example.
“This change in process has solved a lot of niggly operational problems for us.
“Now, we have fewer people involved and we’ve halved the time it takes to complete this annual task. Our team members who are using the machines have said how impressed they are with the speed, comfort and ease of use.
“We’re always looking at new innovations at Place UK, and adopting new technologies on the fruit farm is all part of us evolving as a thriving horticultural business.”
