Good to see Jim Paice kicking off the year with strong words of support for the British food production industry at the Oxford Farming Conference this week.

As always, producers will want to see that these words are backed up with action, and so far Paice seems to have been a friend to the industry. Producers still want to see more support in terms of policing the retail sector, while funding for reinvestment - particularly in new, environment-friendly technologies - is also important.

One interesting point raised by Paice is that of exports. It’s not really an area we associate with British fresh produce, but there are increasing examples of domestic producers finding customers in western Europe and even Russia. Apples and carrots, among other things, have recently been exported from this country across the continent.

If sterling allows Britain to be seen as a competitive trading partner, it could open up a very valuable alternative market, with the added advantage of reinforcing to supermarkets that they can no longer take domestic supply for granted.

This could also be the perfect time for international producers to look again at the British market. With the feel-good factor of the Olympic Games and a more favourable exchange rate, some of the negativity among exporters about supplying the UK might just be alleviated this year. -

Michael Barker, Editor

Topics