While Mr Brown and his party lick their wounds following their pasting in the recent local elections, it is to be hoped that the government finally wakes up and listens to the resounding message from the voting public. In our modern blame culture, the government is a clear target for the man in the street, who struggles to cope with the escalated costs of day-to-day living.

The total impact of all this on our industry will no doubt become clear - however, we remain constant in our Eat in Colour (EiC) message to promote fresh produce consumption across the nation. This PR campaign continues to appeal to all social classes, with further major coverage in the tabloids over the last week. The more support we give this initiative, the greater the impact.

Recent changes within the FPC structure welcomed Chris Hutchinson and Richard Thompson onto the council as new FPC directors. Hutchinson has taken over from Brian Daykin as chairman of the wholesale division, and Thompson has taken over from George Bray as vice-chair.

In addition, Alex Dinsdale left the FPC team last month, and we wish him every success in his future career, effectively back in the world of farming. I am delighted to introduce Sian Thomas, our new team member, who joined us at the Re:fresh Conference and Awards by way of an introduction to the industry, and then will be with us from May 15. She brings with her a wealth of experience in PR and communications and, specifically, her experience in agrochemicals and expertise liaising with government bodies will greatly benefit the team and support our members. We will have a small but effective executive team moving forward, and with the support of a committed council we look forward with great anticipation to the second half of the year, and continuing to provide an excellent service to the industry.

It was good to see so many of you at Re:fresh. I trust you all had a great time, and I look forward to getting out with Sian and Angie this summer to visit as many of you as possible.