Britain has a new prime minister. As Theresa May takes charge at Number 10, here’s how key food & drink industry bodies have reacted to her appointment - and the policy wish lists they have put forward.
The Food & Drink Federation has written an open letter to May, urging her to reassure the 100,000 EU nationals working in UK food & drink manufacturing. “The decision to leave is a major setback for our members,” FDF director general Ian Wright said in the letter. “However, we are a resilient and resourceful industry and we are now focused on transforming potential risks into real opportunities. With the support of you and your government, we are confident that UK food and drink can continue to be a success story of which we are all proud.
The National Farmers Union has called on the new PM to champion British food & drink. Writing in his open letter to May, president Meurig Raymond said the NFU was about to embark on a major consultation on post-Brexit agricultural policy. “As our new Prime Minister will know all too well from meeting NFU members in her Maidenhead constituency, the British farming industry has transformed itself to become innovative, sustainable and consumer-focused”, Raymond said. “The NFU is about to embark on a massive consultation with our membership - the biggest of its kind for a lifetime - with our officeholder team visiting all parts of the country in the coming weeks. This will allow us to help shape the next domestic agricultural policy – one based on sound science and crucially one which guarantees the support given to our farmers will be on par with farmers in the EU who will still be our principle competitors.”
A joint letter to May and David Davis, new Secretary of State for leaving the European Union, from 80 signatories including Dan Crossley, executive director of the Food Ethics Council, and Professor Tim Lang from the Centre for Food Policy, urged the new government to take control of food, farming and fishing for the public good and ensure that issues like public health and sustainability would not take a backseat post-Brexit. “Crafting good food and farming policies is also essential to help heal the rift that has so far characterised the EU referendum process, as well as to combat the disenfranchisement and distrust in the political process that so many of our fellow citizens have expressed,” the letter said.
The Provision Trade Federation warned maintaining access to imported raw materials would be crucial to the future success of its members. ”The same is true for our continuing ability to attract a workforce with the commitment and skills we need,” said director general Andrew Kuyk, who added it would be essential to maintain the UK’s reputation for food quality and safety – particularly in the export markets – while there were also challenges around the need for healthier and more sustainable diets. ”The food industry has long been calling for a more joined up and strategic approach to these issues across Government,” Kuyk said. ”We believe the time is right to reaffirm the place of our industry at the heart of an innovative, sustainable and dynamic UK economy – and look to the Prime Minister and her new team to help us deliver this.”
Dairy UK called on the new PM to ”shape a better future for the dairy industry by securing robust trade deals, implementing fair food & drink legislation on par with our competitors and supporting industry competitiveness with easy access to a skilled workforce”. The sector had tremendous potential for growth in the global stage, said CEO Judith Bryans, who added the government needed to provide the right framework to make it more resilient, competitive and profitable. ”With so many opportunities for new markets arising across the world,it must act swiftly to conclude free-trade agreements with major partners lest we get left out of the global game. And it goes without saying that, given the intricate links between the UK and the EU, both in terms of players and products, we must have continued access to the EU market. We will need robust trade agreements which remove tariff and non-tariff barriers to allow us to take our place in the global market and be a strong and credible competitor.”
Click here for industry reactions to the Cabinet reshuffle, including the appointment of Andrea Leadsom to Defra.
No comments yet