It has been suggested to me that the Journal, because of our international readership, is not necessarily as supportive of the UK grower as other grower-led trade magazines might be.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We are behind growers full-stop. What we support is the positive advancement of the fresh produce trade in any way that ensures the highest quality of produce finds its way into consumers’ mouths - preferably in constantly increasing volumes.

In that context, the views of Bifga on page one make perfect sense. Although it appears on the surface to be an attack on imported fruit, if you turn the story round, what John Breach is proposing is simply that UK growers believe in themselves and back that belief with action. How can that be wrong?

As long as the quality of the fruit being produced in the UK can match or better that being imported and the volume is available to satisfy the demands of the population, there is no reason why domestic fruit should not hold sway. But the minute that those standards are dropped and the consumer is confronted with inferior quality in the name of nationalism, it is the fresh produce industry that will suffer en masse.

• On page 10, Melanie Johnson, the minister for public health, outlines the government’s strategy for working with the industry towards 5 A DAY and health targets. In the wake of last week’s White Paper, Choosing Health, her words are well worth a read.