Also this week National Farmers Union president Ben Gill is due to meet EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler in London to discuss the reforms put forward. Ahead of the meeting Gill said he would tell the commissioner that UK farmers and growers are keen to see the detail of the outline proposals and for debate on reform to begin.

'UK farmers realise that reform of the CAP is long overdue,' said Gill. 'They are tired of following a policy that seems to deliver neither for themselves or societySWe must remember that we will not have the full details until later in the autumn. It will only be then that we will be able to interpret fully the consequences.' The Fresh Produce Consortium has said it will be responding in detail to Defra's consultation but in a statement said that it is broadly in agreement with the proposals to de-couple subsidies from production and shift the support to wider agri-environment and rural development issues. 'This is a policy we have always advocated,' said FPC chief executive Doug Henderson.

The fruit and vegetable regime has been reformed separately from the broader CAP, nevertheless the impact of wider environmental and rural affairs reforms under CAP on UK horticulture remains to be seen.

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