I always check the sits vac pages in Farmers Weekly. Discrimination for age is illegal now and I like to keep an eye on employment possibilities.
One colourful half page ad placed by DEFRA in the current edition of FW caught my eye immediately. "Applications are invited for positions in a number of our public bodies", it said, and in particular to "Chair the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board".
That sounds just up my street, I thought. I've done a lot of chairing in my time and it will probably only be about a day a week for which the pay will likely be several tens of thousands of pounds a year. It'll be money for old rope, I thought, and a nice addition to my pension.
Then I looked more closely at the photo that was the background to the ad. The background was a very English looking oak tree in front of which was a table bearing fruit and veg. Nice touch, I thought and then I noticed that among the fruit and veg on the table were banana's, what looked like an avocado, an orange and a pineapple.
I jumped to one of two conclusions. Either DEFRA is so convinced about climate change that it is intending to urgently extend its remit to exotic fruit and the development of this will be part the responsibilities of whoever chairs the AHDB in future. Or the people seeking candidates for the job, by definition existing DEFRA employees, still haven't a clue about the industry over which they preside.
I think we should be told.