I get the feeling that the natural resilience of the industry is being tested to breaking point at the present time, and will be even further stretched if the Competition Commission fails to come up with little more than the broad brush picture that relationships with the multiples are not all they might be.

Any result might not actually have much effect when the shouting has died down, but at least the industry might be able to enjoy a brief period of self-satisfaction that it at least helped bring past practices out into the open.

But I wonder how many times in the last six months that producers, both in the UK and beyond our shores, have wondered why they made the decision to keep growing fruit and vegetables.

While the industry is fond of reminding itself it works on a global scale, it is all the more extraordinary because of the dichotomy that seems to exist in the UK, where consumption remains far lower than many of its fellow EU members, and therefore actually represents a great opportunity.

Already, on the plus side, there is far greater consumer acceptance, because of 5 A DAY and the many other strands woven by the media, that fresh is good. Indeed, the very mantra that success lies with changing the dietary habits of the next generation even seems to be making headway.

The continued expansion of the organic sector and the growth of farmers’ markets underlines the situation, while an ever-expanding abundance of new marketing ideas has continued to widen choice, bringing with it new tastes and concepts.

In fact, fresh produce has shown that it has all the attributes the processed sector of the food industry draws on when describing its own wares.

The benefits, however, which undoubtedly do exist, have not appeared to be matched by the reality of the situation, exemplified by the fact that two of the best-known names in the industry, from completely different sectors, have been in severe financial difficulties.

No-one would deny the multiples a reasonable profit, and no-one in horticulture back along the distribution chain is asking for a free ride at a time when international over-production can be at the heart of the problem.

But it is frequently overlooked that it is the producer, often with little control over the final outcome of his crop - as the summer weather patterns have shown - who is in effect also paying for much more.

There is the cost of packing, storage and distribution, and even an expected contribution towards promotion, with the hope that there is enough left in the bank balance to put aside for longer-term investment at farm and nursery level.

Perhaps the secret ingredient that keeps the wheels ticking over, or rather the brassicas being planted, the tomatoes ripening and the fruit trees blossoming, is an inordinate sense of pride, coupled with a way of life that few would want to surrender.

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