You would never have believed it, given their smiles, but Britain's gallant army of food and drink exporters ­ especially those struggling to ply their wares across the Channel ­ have had a difficult year. So it was all the more commendable that they put on such a confident show of festive spirit on Wednesday for the Food from Britain Export Awards. For with shipments to the EU falling 5% during the first six months of 2000, despite encouraging sales performances in Spain, Ireland and Greece, currency problems remain the major headache. The weak euro, as FFB chairman Gordon Summerfield reminded us, has wrecked many cross-Channel sales aspirations. And persistent pleas to government have brought little more than sympathy, as ministers insisted the currency issue was a matter for the Bank of England. But encouragingly, Summerfield, who honed a reputation as a straight talking tough guy during his years in the battleground which is the UK dairy industry, offered a glimmer of hope. He promised FFB would be more vocal in its efforts to convince the government of the urgent need for assistance for long suffering exporters. And the FFB chairman hit an even more realistic note by spotlighting an opportunity on the back of overseas expansion by retailers from Britain and mainland Europe. There's been much talk about partnerships in the food chain during 2000, but perhaps this is one area for union where the potential has not so far been fully tapped? Following the chains with global ambitions to China, Hungary, Poland and the Pacific Rim, where there is an obvious demand for British products, offers the chance of much needed relief for struggling export directors. Cynics will claim it's naive to expect this government to serve up anything revolutionary to help shippers on the exchange rate front. But the FFB chairman was right to bend the ear of the food minister as she tucked into her Welsh lamb ­ an exercise he would do well to repeat among even higher government ranks. Clive Beddall, Editor {{OPINION }}