I am on record as saying that promotion of fresh produce should not necessarily focus on origin. However, that was primarily based on the premise that national promotions are often adversarial in nature.

I was at the launch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Why Horticulture Matters campaign on Tuesday, and feel there is every reason for the British public to be told why they should back their own producers and growers.

The positive contribution that domestic producers make to the health of the nation, the national economy and the environment are all perfectly sound claims, based on hard facts and figures. Supporting local products when they are in season is something consumers do all over the world - why should the UK be any different?

The NFU was keen to distance itself from the notion that UK growers can satisfy the entire fresh produce demand of consumers in this country, either now or in the future, and it has to play its part in conveying this message effectively to the mass media, which seems incapable of grasping a fairly simple truism.

Realism, rather than jingoism, reigned at the launch, and that must be the way the campaign moves forward to have a real impact. The fact is that there is plenty of perfectly edible, safe and healthy product being imported into this country. To substitute a small proportion of that for home-grown produce may be possible, and that in itself would have a far-reaching effect on growers.

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