NFU Cymru President Aled Jones and other industry leaders were invited to attend the summit.
Aled said: “It was pleasing to hear reassuring words from The Prime Minister on the commitment to care for the farming and food processing industry in this country. There was commitment to having an additional five trade attaches appointed in countries around the world, in addition to the 11 announced last year, which is a positive move.
“There was also a commitment to address the confidence in the industry which has been damaged considerably in the last two years. The message was made loud and clear to the Prime Minister that if we allow our food productive capacity to reduce it has a knock-on effect for the next 20–30 years.
Importance of domestic food supply
“In general people understand the importance of having a domestic food supply of products that we can produce in this country, but we need to maintain that productive capacity.
“On the whole, it was a positive meeting, but I would like to see another summit held in a years’ time so that we can see and measure whether these commitments are followed through at a policy design level, in planning and support mechanisms, and included in legislation which is fit for purpose.”
The Prime Minister also wrote an open letter to farmers outlining the government’s six principles to ensure British farming is at the heart of British trade.
Our President @AledNfu has attended the Farm to Fork Summit today at Number 10 Downing Street, along with other industry leaders, to discuss domestic food security with the PM.
— NFU Cymru 🚜 (@NFUCymru) May 16, 2023
This is something the NFU has pushed for, and we're pleased that commitments have been made today. pic.twitter.com/5XV5QGlLwN
Positive commitments
These include:
- Protecting sensitive sectors, including through permanent quotas where deemed appropriate – this reflects the government’s approach with the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership);
- Protecting UK food standards under all existing and future free trade agreements – this means there will be no chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-treated beef in the UK market;
- Prioritising new export opportunities for UK food and drink; and
- Removing market access barriers to make it easier for food producers to enter new markets.
The letter also contains other positive news, including:
- an increase in the number of UK agricultural attaches to help reach new markets – an NFU ‘win’ as we have been calling for this for some time;
- the creation of a £1 million programme to support dairy exports; and
- the promise of an additional £2 million to strengthen the UK’s presence at major trade shows.
Read the letter in full here
