THE export journey at Orchard Valley Foods is gathering pace and we have some ambitious growth plans.

Recently winning the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade and being one of only 150 companies in the UK to achieve this huge accolade gives Orchard Valley Foods great credibility as an exporter.

Our export team and the whole business are to be congratulated.

We are working hard to execute our export growth and product packed in Tenbury will soon be on shelves in Ice Cream Parlours in South Australia and in retail outlets in Romania.

The EU presents a market of 508 million easily accessed consumers with excellent communication links. From Tenbury we transport product to Poland, Slovakia and Romania, some of the more recent EU members. We can load a wagon in Tenbury and deliver to any of these countries in 2-3 days.

The administration, documentation and product legislation is all harmonised, relatively simple and the products move freely over borders without additional checks, controls or delays.

This makes us a reliable supplier to our customers and so helps us to be considered for additional product requirements.

This is only possible due to the free trade conditions that being part of the EU provides, which is why Britain joined the EEC in 1973 and survived a referendum in 1975. (The EU or European Union was originally the European Economic Community EEC).

Britain exports almost 50% of its produce to the EU, food being one of the main categories.

Over the next five weeks you will hear many debates as to the case for 'Brexit' and should we remain an EU member or apply to leave the union.

My personal view is to stay within the EU, protecting jobs and maintaining easy access to the huge market that membership provides.