FARMERS fear they may have to bulldoze their traditional cider orchard after Heineken decided not to renew the farm's contract this year.

Grove Farm in Kimbolton has been supplying apples for Bulmers cider for almost 60 years, recently contributing an annual 50 tonnes.

But in February Heineken, which produces Bulmers cider in Hereford, decided not to take their supply of apples, which means the Bunting family have a significant surplus of produce.

The family is desperately trying to find a buyer for their apples but fear they may have to bulldoze the traditional orchard to turn it into farmland.

Tim Bunting, who has managed the farm since 1983, said: “It’s a shame. We had a stewardship with Natural England to keep it as a traditional orchard - no fertilizers or sprays - and I know we have woodpeckers in there.

“I’m loathe to get the bulldozers in, but that would be the easiest option. I have to be realistic.”

Mr Bunting, who said he knew of neighbouring farms in the same predicament, explained he had an annually-renewed ‘supply agreement’ with Heineken, which does not warrant a compensation buyout.

His son Rory, 24, took to social media to find a home for this year’s crop.

He said: “It came right out of the blue. We’ve been growing apples for them for over 20 years, but we won’t get a penny for this year’s harvest. Come autumn, we need the orchard to graze the sheep and we can’t do that if the ground is covered in fallen fruit - it’s got to go somewhere.”

Heineken uses around a third of all the cider apples grown in the UK and about 180 growers, mostly in Herefordshire, supply the fruit.

Grove Farm is not the only farm to have been affected as there is generally an over-supply of cider apples.

Heineken said it was speaking to its long-term contractors on a case-by-case basis, pointing out that some agreements were due to expire naturally.

A spokesperson for the company, which in the UK processes over 100,000 tonnes of apples a year, said: “Heineken is committed to Herefordshire, investing £58m over the past few years to upgrade our operations.

“We have positive long term relationships with our growers, supporting them to improve the productivity and sustainability of their orchards. It’s no secret that there is an over supply of apples across the industry driven by increased lifespan of orchards, bumper crops and changing market dynamics.

“We’re working closely in partnership with our growers and are committed to ensuring a sustainable long term supply of cider apples.”