Speaking at the New Spitalfields Market Committee dinner on November 19, Lord Whitty the minister for food said that the department of food, the environment and rural affairs (Defra), had, in its previous incarnation as the ministry of agriculture (Maff), been mistakenly identified as a 'ministry about farmers'. It was not, he said, adding that his job required him to look after 'the food chain in its totality'.

However, he gave his assurance that farmers remain a vital consideration in the integrated remit of the new ministry.

'I have sometimes been asked if the creation of the new department means that the government attaches less importance to farming and food supply,' he said. 'The answer is an emphatic 'no'. Achieving sustainable development means keeping all our objectives in mind in every aspect of our decision making. It is the job of the government to address difficult issues, to weigh up the implications of different courses of action and to reach sensible decisions on the basis of sound evidence.

The minister spoke of the importance of preserving the wholesale business and touched on the implications of the new ministry for London's markets. 'What do the objectives of the new department hold in store for London's wholesale markets?' he asked. 'They mean that we must take an overview of the interests of producers, consumers and the environment. The wholesale markets are part of a greater food supply chain in which they perform the specific functions to which they are best suited.' However, he said markets would have to continue to adapt to survive, citing New Spitalfields as a role model. 'We have no prescription to offer as to the right number of markets or their location. We have already seen how Spitalfields has developed over the years in response to changing needs, changing ownership and operations in response to the wider needs of society.' David Caspi, new chairman of the Spitalfields market committee welcomed around 100 guests to the dinner at Gibson Hall in Bishopsgate, London, on Tuesday. Other top table guests included outgoing chairman Wilfred Archibald, His Excellency Cristian Barros the Chilean ambassador, Midge Broadley, mayor of the borough of Waltham Forest, Harry Cohen, Labour MP for Leyton & Wanstead, John Olney, chairman of New Spitalfields market tenants association.