The food industry has welcomed announcements made in the government’s industrial strategy, unveiled yesterday.
The industrial strategy was published on Monday and included a range of policy measures such as lowering energy prices for big users, speeding up grid connections, enhancing access to skills and talent, removing planning barriers and increased defence investment.
It is part of the government’s Plan for Change growth mission.
The NFU said the inclusion of agri-tech and precision breeding was a “huge win” for the NFU and UK farming.
The farming union said the inclusion of agricultural technologies as areas of focus, something for which it had long lobbied, should open up more opportunities for farmers and growers to contribute to the government’s growth agenda. It would increase their ability to create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost productivity and drive investment, the NFU said.
“Since winning the election almost a year ago, the government has repeatedly said it wants to deliver growth,” said NFU deputy president David Exwood. “As the backbone of the food and drink industry – the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – farming is in a great position to contribute to this.
“With the right investment, farming has the potential to be a key driver in future growth and that’s why we have been pushing hard for it to be included in the industrial strategy,” said Exwood. “We already have proposals within our Blueprints for Growth to support the government’s goals and intend to feed these in as part of next steps.”
The FDF has also said the strategy included some “welcome measures” including the expansion of the Made Smarter programme, Growth and Skills Levy flexibility, more innovation funding and reducing regulatory burdens for businesses as key policies that could benefit food and drink businesses.
However, Balwinder Dhoot, director of industry growth and sustainability at the FDF, said: “Questions remain as to whether critical sectors such as ours can access the funding and support mechanisms outlined here.
“Food and drink manufacturing plays a vital role in ensuring the nation’s food security, provides 500,000 high-quality jobs in every UK region, and contributes £37bn to our economy,” said Dhoot. “It’s clear that government has ambitions for advanced manufacturing, and we look forward to seeing how this will translate to supporting the growth of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink.”
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