It’s good to see the government is taking an interest in maintaining and even expanding London’s business development manager (BDM) scheme for wholesale markets.

There has been much doubt hanging over the future of the BDMs, but cutting them would have represented a retrograde step in terms of encouraging growers to explore routes to market that they might not have otherwise considered.

In the run-up to the London Olympics, it would have been a serious missed opportunity if the government was not seen to be supporting domestic food supply, and farming minister Jim Paice seems to be aware of this.

As we heard from several of the speakers at last week’s FPJ Conference in Lincoln, there are some very fertile alternative markets beyond retail in this country. Helping growers gain a better understanding of how to supply those markets is a key part of the BDMs’ remit, so continued funding for them should be welcomed.

A national roll-out of the scheme makes sense too. If the success of the BDMs in bringing in £20 million of new business to London markets and creating more than 50 new jobs were replicated nationally, it would represent a major injection of sector income.

The more credible options growers and suppliers feel they have for their produce, the more retailers will realise they have to pay a price that sustains growers. It creates competition that is healthy for the production and supply sector.

The government may not want to legislate, but by supporting schemes like the BDMs, it can help out.