Gordon Brown’s threat to big business that he will be taking “serious action” unless more women are given top spots at boardroom level throws up a bit of a poser for the traditionally male-dominated food and farming sector.

The Times reports that just 10 per cent of board members of FTSE 100 companies are women, while 25 of Britain’s biggest companies employ no women at all in top roles.

The fresh produce industry might have its work cut out more than most if it wants to secure a greater number of key spots for women. Unsociable hours and prolonged bouts of travelling are often cited as the reasons women find it tough to juggle a demanding career in fresh produce with an equally busy home life.

But nonetheless, there is definitely a sense that increasing numbers of women are making headway in the industry. There are some clear examples of this in our feature on p19.

There is a real danger that obligatory boardroom quotas, in whatever industry, lead to chair-filling for the sake of it, without the merits of the individuals concerned properly being taken into account. The fact remains that for whatever reason, certain industries and positions do tend to appeal more to men than women, and vice versa.

Women have and will continue to secure top jobs in this sector, and it would be great to see more smashing the glass ceiling. But it’s vital that they do so based on their own merits - not owing to some compulsory government quota.