So retaining investment in coastal erosion eh? Tough stuff. It’s testament to the severity of the cuts which face DEFRA - £174 million until 2015 - that George Osborne led on such a weak positive in defending cuts to the department.

There are no doubt deep cuts to every sector affecting farming and the environment which will only become clear over the next few months, but it is plain that Caroline Spelman’s job just got a whole lot tougher.

Consequently, it will be interesting to see at what pace the changes proposed by the Fruit and Vegetables Task Force are implemented.

The three sub-groups have called on every area of industry and its associations, as well as retailers and government, to unite in central goals of increasing consumption, production and efficiency within the supply chain.

I understand that a detailed seasonal guide has already been drawn up to help improve retail buyers’ understanding of crop planning, which can only be constructive in aiding both clarity in retail-supply relationships and profitability.

Elsewhere, the scrapping of the Agricultural Wages Board, in my view, represents a positive step bringing the rural sector in line with the rest of UK industry. One initiative for which it is vital funding is secured is the continuation of the business development manager programme in London wholesale markets and its extension elsewhere in the UK. The progress made so far has been impressive and if the government can take a spatula to the bottom of the barrel it might just be some of the wisest money it spends.