Joint managing director of Bristol Fruit Sales Nick Matthews, Growfair brand manager Mark Oughtred and DEFRA secretary of state Hilary Benn

The new-look Florette website

The new-look Florette website

Florette launches new site- 1st Dec
Salad giant Florette has launched a new website with the theme of "10 years of prepared salad expertise" at its heart.

UK horticulture frets over research future- 1st Dec
Leading figures in the field of horticultural research urged the industry players to rise above their differences to avoid losing key institutes and bring new talent into an ailing sector.

Retailers up lobbying ante over ombud- 1st Dec
A fierce lobbying campaign has broken out as the UK's major supermarkets look to steer the government away from the introduction of an independent ombudsman.

Oxford Farming Conference nears- 1st Dec
Close to 300 delegates have registered for the 2010 Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) which runs from January 4-6, 2010 at the Oxford University Examination Halls.

Industry welcomes market report- 1st Dec
The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) has welcomed the new Markets 21, report which sheds light on the potential of traditional markets to contribute to local communities.

Canary Islands up UK ambition- 1st Dec
Canary Islands banana producers are keen to take advantage of their industry's environmental credentials as they seek to send product to the UK once more.

Packaging workshop imminent- 1st Dec
Attendees at a new hands-on professional workshop will look at sustainability in packaging and legislative hurdles.

Bristol Fruit Sales lands BBC prize- 2nd Dec
Bristol Fruit Sales (BFS) is celebrating its victory at the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming awards 2009 last week in London.

Freshfel draws up climate agenda- 2nd Dec
As the debate on climate change gains momentum on the political agenda ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, a "climate smart food" conference was held in Lund, Sweden on November 23-24, hosted by the Swedish EU presidency.

Agrexco positive over pepper season- 2nd Dec
Agrexco has heralded the start of the Israeli pepper season, citing its Ever Green Pepper as a particularly strong product this year.