Clive Beddall Margaret Beckett and her team at the new Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs face one of the biggest agendas ever to be put in front of a UK ministry ­ prompting further speculation that the department's brief is too wide. On Thursday a senior Whitehall source warned: "The whole team has hit the ground running ­ but they face a massive task to consider all the different issues and pleas. MAFF was never like this." As The Grocer went to Press on Thursday evening Mrs Beckett, after a busy week of discussions, was meeting representatives of grocery's leading organisations ­ the IGD, FDF and BRC ­ for what was described as an "introductory chat about major food issues". But on top of the challenges faced in building a meat export recovery plan in the wake of foot and mouth, and pursuing Tony Blair's much publicised bid to reform the CAP, the Beckett team is involved in three major inquiries which, if their objectives are implemented, will transform Britain's rural, food producing scene. During the next few weeks, the minister will announce the setting up of an independent commission to advise on the creation of what is being described as a "sustainable, competitive and diverse farming and food sector within a thriving rural economy". News of the commission is bringing a mass of unsolicited submissions from interested groups. Significantly, several are calling for the formation of a new "food policy council," while there have also been hints of demands for a renewed investigation into the power of the supermarkets from pressure groups. In addition, while a further official investigation will be asked to produce proposals for preventing animal disease outbreaks, another probe will look into the cause of FMD and lessons for the future. Meanwhile, as the debate surrounding intensive farming hots up, the Soil Association is seeking an action plan for organic agriculture, together with a phase-out of all public funding for "farming practices which do not benefit the public". IGD has invited food and farming minister Lord Whitty to "walk the food chain" in a similar way to that undertaken by former ministers Nick Brown and Joyce Quin. - See Opinion, p20 {{NEWS }}