With the government in meltdown and ministers jumping ship at an alarming pace, we noted in particular that DEFRA minister for farming and the environment Jane Kennedy stood down earlier this week and, following her video message to the industry at the recent Re:fresh Conference, we will monitor the changes in the recent reshuffle and the possible impact on the industry. This week, in York, I met with senior Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) executives to re-establish a dialogue on your behalf and we look forward to working together with the new senior team.

On the subject of the conference, it was great to see so many of you at the day event and in the evening for the awards, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Your contribution, whether as a sponsor, delegate or guest, ensured the overwhelming success of the event for another year and we were delighted that attendance seemed unaffected by the current economic downturn. My personal congratulations to those of you who won an award - and to those who didn’t, please don’t be discouraged and make sure you have another go; the very nature of the competition means 2010 could well be your year.

The seasonality debate dominated much of the conference and as it goes on, we will continue to put forward a reasoned, balanced approach to emphasising the need for choice, variety and overall availability.

We recently took a delegation of FPC members to the Port of Portsmouth and our thanks to Martin Putman and his team for their kind hospitality and an interesting, informative tour of the operational side of the port, which included the great opportunity to board a vessel and view consignment unloading. We wish Portsmouth continued success in its future initiatives and look forward to working with the port.

Our Pesticide Working Group greatly appreciated the hospitality of the US Embassy, which hosted our recent meeting. Chairman Jim Jeffcoate and a group of around 50 in number enjoyed lively discussions with US counterparts, comparing the legislative approach across the Atlantic and in the EU.

On a lighter note, the Covent Garden annual dinner was a great success last Saturday, always an superb occasion all round.