Following arguably the best game of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday between England and their antipodean counterparts, and an equally up-to-the-wire performance by France, we sit with unexpected smugness as our southern-hemisphere friends return home and we wait with trepidation for the almighty onslaught of the England-France semi-final. Come on England!

A recent Department for International Development (DFID) seminar centred attention on the impact of withdrawing organic certification from airfreighted produce, with discussions surrounding preliminary findings from research into the impact of an airfreight ban on Africa’s organic farmers, and we enjoy continued interaction and involvement, not only with the DFID team, but with other related and interested bodies, on your behalf.

Our recent wholesale visit to Bristol was a great success, and we thank the market management board, and in particular Richard Laurence, for its kind hospitality. It is greatly encouraging to see, in spite of the changing face of the industry and the need for constant diversification and innovative thinking, that privately owned wholesale markets across the UK are thriving. We wish the wholesale fruit centre in Bristol well in the run-up to Christmas.

We congratulate the fresh flower and fresh produce winners of the Retail Industry Awards and enjoyed the recent celebrations.

Following the exhaustive efforts of the FPC to promote the responsible use of temporary labour in our sector, and subsequent formation of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), I note the recent coverage from the Association of Labour Providers (ALP) with disappointment for the industry and its consumers. The suggestion that a number of businesses in the fresh produce sector are paying labour providers insufficient funds to act responsibly is a cause for considerable concern. We would emphasise to all in the sector the need for responsible trading practices, and we will call on the GLA to investigate these allegations to eradicate inappropriate behaviour. In the interim, following recent minimum wage changes, businesses must check to ensure they are meeting the regulations.

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