It’s very difficult to get that fired up by the government’s new Food 2030 strategy.

As DEFRA has waited until the first week of the New Year to unveil this real humdinger of a policy, I imagine the move was timed in order to generate maximum excitement as we head into the new decade, eager to meet our responsibilities to food production and the world around us.

Which, of course, many if not most of us are keen to do - but it doesn’t seem that this rather vague, heard-it-all-before plan will throw many answers our way.

Plenty of the people we have spoken to this week have also remarked that, as it stands, the likelihood is that the incumbent government will be out of office in less than six months anyway, rendering Food 2030 a purely academic exercise. And if the plan was designed to be a vote-winner among the agricultural community, the reaction so far would suggest that it just won’t cut the mustard.

The truly observant among you may have noticed your copy of FPJ looks and feels somewhat different this week.

We hope you will find our new format easier to use and more accessible. As ever, we remain committed to bringing you the most up-to-date news, views and analysis from the fresh produce industry. And as we keep you informed, it is important to us that our design stays as fresh as the products you supply.

On behalf of everyone at FPJ, I would like to wish all of you a very happy New Year.