Of cheese and carrots

It is always fun to deconstruct the honours list. The Telegraph has spotted an interesting little anomaly:

"On Saturday, the Queen's birthday honours list awarded an OBE to Randolph Hodgson, chairman of the Specialist Cheesemakers' Association.
For Clements Tompsett, chairman of the British Carrot Growers' Association, there was the lowlier MBE.
Why looking after the interests of the producers of Shropshire Blue and Sage Derby should count for more than championing growers of Ulysses and Bullion - carrots come in as many varieties as cheese, it seems - is hard to see."

There are of course more important peculiarities. Did Philip Green, based for tax purposes in Monaco, deserve a knighthood? And what of the Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Executive? Has he done anything singular to merit a 'K'? Or is occupying the post for three years sufficient in itself?

It is time that this nonsense was swept away.