IT'S GOOD TO TALK SAYS NICK BROWN There will always be tension in the food supply chain, says agriculture minister Nick Brown, but the only solution is to keep everyone talking. Brown feels things have improved since he came into office, with all the links' in the chain more willing to talk and to listen to one another. "I certainly hope so, because I've been working hard on it," he says. The summit held at No 10 on March 30, and more importantly all the preparation that went into getting people to attend, has been a good focus for the industry, he says. Meetings of this sort, together with the supply chain code of conduct being developed through IGD and the British Farm Standard mark, mean the farming and retail communities are working together in a much more positive way. "There's still a lot of discussion and development going on," says Brown. "But I've left it to the industry now. My role is really just to get people together, be an advocate for good practice, and encourage everyone to take the medium term rather than short term view." And it's working, he says, if supermarkets are willing to accept they have a responsibility to treat suppliers reasonably. "There's been a lot of discussion about the relative strengths of the players in the chain, and how it's not right that the powerful retailers can push all the problems on to suppliers. The supermarkets are coming to see that everyone has a substantial investment in making this work, and that they have a vested interest in the health of their suppliers." Although he will work with all parts of the food chain, Brown is particularly keen to help those areas going through problems ­ currently the primary producers. "They're struggling with the returns they get, the strength of the pound, and things like BSE controls. They're all just additional burdens on them." He's an enthusiastic supporter of farmers' markets, and recently attended the opening of two in London. "It's an important way forward, giving an outlet for smaller farm businesses that will never be able to produce the volumes needed by supermarkets, and it also gives them direct access to the final customer." Having come this far, it's important to keep up the dialogue and make sure the various industry initiatives move forward , he says. The Countryside Agency has been given the task of coordinating all the different groups and their plans. The Food Standards Agency has also helped Brown, by taking on the role of regulator and leaving him to concentrate on acting as a sponsor for the industry. British farming has a great story to tell, he says, and retailers are finally starting to hear it and recognise the need for local products on their shelves. {{FEATURES }}