In light of escalating energy costs and Kyoto targets for a 12.5 per cent global reduction of carbon dioxide by 2010 the Fresh Produce Consortium entered into a partnership with an energy consultancy, EIC, and applied to the Carbon Trust for a grant in order to fund seminars for the industry to provide energy awareness information and advise members on energy management providing significant cost saving initiatives.

Although the government recently announced the failure to meet its own target of 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, the Kyoto target still applies and global warming issues are significant.

The FPC hosted and EIC facilitated a series of seminars in March, starting in Peterborough and rolling out to Kent, Warwick and Bristol.

Agenda items included energy audits and reduction opportunities, and the necessity of monitoring and targeting in order to identify realistic cost saving initiatives.

Refrigeration was a major concern to delegates as a source of high energy use and related costs. This and other issues surrounding energy awareness and the fresh produce industry were open for discussion and delegates were assisted in structuring an appropriate campaign initiative for their own companies.

Information regarding emissions trading, potential benefits of climate change agreements, grant funding and free auditing opportunities were key points of interest and detailed energy saving advice was extremely useful and relevant for both domestic and commercial users.

Attendance at some venues was disappointing considering the subject matter, however the feedback from those who attended has been resoundingly positive with requests for future seminars which the FPC anticipates organising later in the year, subject to results of a follow up questionnaire which will be circulated to delegates in the coming months.

In addition, should sufficient interest be forthcoming from members, the FPC will continue to work with EIC in specified areas such as collective procurement and grant negotiation which could generate significant savings to businesses. We look forward to hearing from you.

• Meanwhile, as you will have seen from coverage elsewhere in this magazine, the Re:fresh Conference and Awards Dinner takes place on Thursday, May 11, 2006.

There will be an exciting range of speakers, but the focus of the day will be on the results of a major survey of the UK fresh produce sector, undertaken in association with Grant Thornton. Key spokesmen from all areas of the industry will be interviewed on stage.

The report and a further DVD featuring interviews with industry figures, worth £299, will be free to delegates.

More information will be mailed to members soon, but you can register now for the Re:fresh Conference at the website: www.refreshconference.com.