It has been a week that the UK will never forget. The images of blazing buildings and burnt out cars, looting and violence in the streets of major cities have been broadcast around the world and talked about non-stop across Britain.

As FPJ went to press, the authorities were battling to restore law and order so it is still too early to tell the full impact that this unprecedented burst of civil unrest will have on businesses.

The food industry, for one, is already feeling the repercussions as high streets were boarded up and people who could well have been out eating and drinking in the sunshine were forced to stay at home. This is not to mention the many businesses that will have to start the process of filing insurance claims as they try to come back from the events of this week.

As analyst Horizons points out, a week’s trade is two per cent of turnover and with small margins, it will be enough to push some firms over the edge.

All this came in the week that the fresh produce industry is facing a blow of its own now that the Rural Payments Agency has de-recognised 27 of the 42 producer organisations in the UK.

The situation has been described as “verging on catastrophic” and there are fears that the knock-on effects could cause “collapse” in parts of the chain.

This is not the first time that the scheme has made headlines and many have been left angry and confused.

Surely, the severe social and economic climate means that the industry needs government support more than ever.

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