together n The past year has seen growing momentum behind moves to bring lasting improvement to the UK's unwieldy, imbalanced food chain. The Grocer rounds up the key players to assess progress Retailing, manufacturing and farming can't be viewed in isolation any longer and the phrase "the food chain" is now used repeatedly by everyone in our industry. In a special report over the next nine pages, we look at the issues and the key people involved in this chain as Europe's food and farming chiefs meet in Belfast. The Congress of European Agriculture brings together European policy makers under the theme Farming in a Competitive Food Chain' which should illustrate that although agriculture now crosses global boundaries, and in doing so is opening up more markets, the food chain is getting longer and more difficult to control. And as it gets longer, its structure is evolving. Farmers' markets for example, have bucked the traditional route from gate to plate and are finding farmers very receptive to the idea. Many are keen to move away from being producers of bulk commodities at the bottom of the food supply chain and are trying to differentiate their products. The NFU is keenly aware of the changes and has already called for a shorter food chain as part of its survival strategy for UK agriculture. NFU chairman Ben Gill wants an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable industry, and this week he says farmers need to play a "full and equal part" in the food chain. The government, too, has acknowledged that it, alone, cannot invigorate the rural economy and has pledged its support to working with businesses and farmers in a bid to find a solution, especially to local sourcing. Food and farming minister Lord Whitty says there are some basic anomalies ­ particularly between what is produced by British farmers and what consumers actually want. He believes the upcoming Commission on the Future of Farming and Food will shed more light on whether the relationships in the food chain are right, and if the government needs to encourage any change. And the supermarkets, who have been villified in the past for paying only lipservice to farmers, are pledging more support for local growers. Sainsbury's Sir Peter Davis this week even acknowledges that retailers and farmers must have serious conversations about each other's positions through industry groupings. Everyone acknowledges the food chain's importance. The challenge now is to work together to make it stronger. {{FEATURES }}