Everyone knows that a weak pound is good news for British agriculture.
Primarily because of the weakness of sterling, farm incomes in England last year were limited to just a 6% fall, despite the slump in global commodity prices, while farm incomes in Wales enjoyed a 60% increase.
So yesterday's jitters for sterling on the foreign exchanges, amid fears of a hung parliament this summer, will have been viewed with some satisfaction by many in the farming industry. (The pound reached a ten month low against the dollar and a three month low against the euro.)
The effect of the weak pound can be clearly seen in latest figures from UK Trade and Investment - the government department responsible for international business development.
These show that meat exports rose by 9% to £1.27bn in 2009, while fruit and veg exports were up 10% to £763m and cereal and animal feed exports were up 3% to £2.35bn...
Figures from EBLEX, showing that beef and sheepmeat exports grew by 21% and 19% to £257m and £312m respectively last year, reinforce the message.
But it's not just about currency. The fact is that the products have to be right too.
There is little doubt that demand for top quality British beef and lamb is growing strongly, with Continental consumers favouring our grass-fed product, especially when it is sold with a strong regional identity.
Scotch whiskey has also been a key product for bringing in foreign currency, while niche products, such as Yorkshire tea sold to China and Wensleydale cheese sold to France, are also making an important contribution.
And then there is the work of organisations such as EBLEX and UK Trade and Investment that do sterling work helping to promote British produce abroad.
UKTI in particular has taken over the work previously done by Food From Britain, which was wound up last year. It operates a network of regional advisers, providing expert advice to small businesses - including food and farming businesses - interested in selling abroad.
It also has advisers in embassies around the wolrd, helping potential exporters find contacts in over 100 markets. And it runs a Tradeshow Access Programme, offering up to £1800/person to help individuals attend international food, drink and agricultural shows.
Combined with the favourable exchange rate, it is little doubt that growing British food exports has become such a good news story.
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