It is not often that journalists ask for or receive sympathy. But for most of us, covering the hurricane path of Ivan was a real test of contacts and stamina as it moved northwards hourly.

Reports had to be constantly rewritten, and the situation remained confused as often there were no means of communication. Making a longer term accurate judgement on the ultimate effect on the market is equally complex as events have yet to blow themselves out.

The scale of damage is frightening, and apart from the effect on both the banana and citrus trades, I am sure several of the lesser volume exotics have also been hard hit.

As crop assessments will take many weeks I feel it will be a matter of watch this space for several weeks yet.

Back on home ground, English Apples & Pears was due to launch the season in its traditional manner as the Journal went to press. But driving round Kent this week, I got the feeling that it is a season which growers will remember for a long time.

Apart from incidence of bruising, the crop seems to have escaped most weather damage, but this week that was certainly not the end of the story.

It has already been reported that fruit size is so large that some apples will be outside EU grade criteria, and supermarkets are having to be convinced to reconsider the sizes accepted for their pre-packs.

As one grower pointed out: “If they don’t, it means we are giving even more away for nothing.”

If this was not enough, EAP fears that the September sunshine and warm temperatures meant that fruit matured at such a rate that hard apples ideal for storage softened in a matter of days.

Harvesting is always a busy time, and with picking starting a week later than normal, it is busier still. Pickers from eastern Europe it seems are not always skilled enough to fill the bulk bins fast enough.

I was also interested to hear that Freshfel is lobbying the European Commission hard to retain the use of sulphur pads in grape boxes. Apparently the whole question is up for debate in the Brussels corridors of power.

The practice has been widely used for more years than I care to remember and obviously does the job.

The main concern apparently is the smell - something I experienced years ago when an over enthusiastic exporter from Lebanon sent a trial sample into old Covent Garden.

However, when the subject is raised with retailers, they never seem to keen on the idea, so I wonder where they stand on the subject?

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