The restructuring of EFFP is a timely response as the government promotes its big society message, says Sir Don Curry
Recent sharp price rises for wheat and other agricultural commodities should come as a reminder that the future of agricultural raw material supply is likely to be more uncertain and unpredictable than in the past.
We must assume that volatility and unpredictability are here to stay, and this makes it more important than ever that food and farming businesses adopt new strategies for the management of the supply of agricultural commodities.
Eight years have passed since the government asked me to chair the Policy Commission on the Future of Food and Farming. One of our recommendations at the time was that farming and food businesses should work more closely together, building longer-term, more strategic supply chain partnerships. Since then, some businesses have embraced this principle while others have persisted in the more traditional trading mentality. It will be interesting to see whether a second period of volatile prices will accelerate this collaborative approach.
The principle is simple. It involves businesses within supply chains working more closely together to understand how they can better contribute to a more efficient and predictable supply of raw materials as well as looking for new opportunities to add value.
One of the biggest hurdles of implementing this in the food industry has been the disconnection that has traditionally existed between farmers and food companies. For food companies, working with farmer suppliers can pose practical difficulties. It means working with a large number of farmers who for many years, as concluded in our report, had been focused on subsidies rather than the market.
The Policy Commission set out to stimulate change through a number of initiatives including the formation of a new organisation, English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP), tasked with helping farmers work together more effectively. It also helps food businesses looking to establish closer links with their farmer supply base.
EFFP has been run as a partnership between industry and government and has developed at a healthy rate. This suggests that both the theory and its activities have resonated with the industry. Given recent changes in the economy, the organisation now plans to split, forming the Food and Farming Foundation, which will continue to champion collaboration across the sector, and a new agrifood consultancy to be part-owned by the Foundation, which will build on the track record in providing advice to food and farming businesses looking to adopt a joined-up approach to supply chain management.
I believe the restructuring is timely, as the coalition encourages once publicly funded organisations to respond to the big society message. It means work started by the Policy Commission will continue.
What is fundamental to the future of a successful farming and food sector is the recognition that we are all part of one great industry and that it is in working together, as opposed to in silos, that real success will be found. If EFFP and the Foundation can continue to help and encourage the industry do this, I wish them every success and sincerely hope they will continue to get support from across the food industry.
Sir Don Curry is author of the 220 Curry Report, which recommended the establishment of the EFFP.
Recent sharp price rises for wheat and other agricultural commodities should come as a reminder that the future of agricultural raw material supply is likely to be more uncertain and unpredictable than in the past.
We must assume that volatility and unpredictability are here to stay, and this makes it more important than ever that food and farming businesses adopt new strategies for the management of the supply of agricultural commodities.
Eight years have passed since the government asked me to chair the Policy Commission on the Future of Food and Farming. One of our recommendations at the time was that farming and food businesses should work more closely together, building longer-term, more strategic supply chain partnerships. Since then, some businesses have embraced this principle while others have persisted in the more traditional trading mentality. It will be interesting to see whether a second period of volatile prices will accelerate this collaborative approach.
The principle is simple. It involves businesses within supply chains working more closely together to understand how they can better contribute to a more efficient and predictable supply of raw materials as well as looking for new opportunities to add value.
One of the biggest hurdles of implementing this in the food industry has been the disconnection that has traditionally existed between farmers and food companies. For food companies, working with farmer suppliers can pose practical difficulties. It means working with a large number of farmers who for many years, as concluded in our report, had been focused on subsidies rather than the market.
The Policy Commission set out to stimulate change through a number of initiatives including the formation of a new organisation, English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP), tasked with helping farmers work together more effectively. It also helps food businesses looking to establish closer links with their farmer supply base.
EFFP has been run as a partnership between industry and government and has developed at a healthy rate. This suggests that both the theory and its activities have resonated with the industry. Given recent changes in the economy, the organisation now plans to split, forming the Food and Farming Foundation, which will continue to champion collaboration across the sector, and a new agrifood consultancy to be part-owned by the Foundation, which will build on the track record in providing advice to food and farming businesses looking to adopt a joined-up approach to supply chain management.
I believe the restructuring is timely, as the coalition encourages once publicly funded organisations to respond to the big society message. It means work started by the Policy Commission will continue.
What is fundamental to the future of a successful farming and food sector is the recognition that we are all part of one great industry and that it is in working together, as opposed to in silos, that real success will be found. If EFFP and the Foundation can continue to help and encourage the industry do this, I wish them every success and sincerely hope they will continue to get support from across the food industry.
Sir Don Curry is author of the 220 Curry Report, which recommended the establishment of the EFFP.
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