Kill or cure

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. UK food and drink producers under siege from stagnant growth, falling prices and tightening margins have been desperate for these grim market fundamentals to change. But the shock Brexit decision has shaken up the landscape for these suppliers so profoundly it will be years before the after-effects are fully understood.

To some Brexit can create a newly fertile land primed to generate growth. For others it has irresponsibly scorched the earth and set the fruits of labour back years. What does seem certain is that looking to past trends is no longer a reliable guide to the future.