Food industry groups including the Federation of Bakers and the National Association of British and Irish Flour Millers have set out 10 Brexit negotiation priorities to protect the food and farming sector.
A letter, signed by 26 trade groups from across the UK food supply chain, stated that abrupt change would have “enormous consequences for our industry, its employees and for the choice and availability of food in this country”.
The letter was sent to MPs days after an academic study warned the implications of Brexit for the UK food industry were “potentially enormous”. The study, written by Tim Lang, Erik Millstone and Terry Marsden, described the UK food system as “like the rabbit caught in the headlights – with no goals, no leadership, and eviscerated key ministries”. It warned the UK was currently “sleepwalking towards a chaotic Brexit”.
The joint trade body letter noted that food and drink was the UK’s largest manufacturing sector and the largest employer in the service sector, employing four million people.
Looming skills shortage
“The opportunities for our industry are huge,” it read. “But uncertainty around the shape of our exit from the EU, the future of our domestic farming and fisheries production, and a looming skills and workforce shortage threaten the viability of our businesses.
“Our trading ties with the EU are deeply interwoven, in respect of both imports and exports. So, too, are the regulatory frameworks in which we operate. These complex relationships must be handled with patience and care.”
The trade groups have told MPs they “offer their expertise” to deliver 10 key priorities they believe are “deliverable by a government and parliament committed to securing the best possible outcome from Brexit”:
The trade groups that have signed the letter are: Food and Drink Federation; British Meat Processors Association; Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association; Council for Responsible Nutrition UK; Federation of Wholesale Distributors; Seed Crushers and Oil Processors Association; Association of Labour Providers; Seasoning & Spice Association; UK Tea and Infusions Association; British Poultry Council; Potato Processors’ Association and the Snack, Nut and Crisp Manufacturers’ Association; British Frozen Food Federation; Confederation of Paper Industries; British Hospitality Association; Health Food Manufacturers’ Association; Provision Trade Federation; British Oats and Barley Millers’ Association; International Meat Processors’ Association; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers; British Specialist Nutrition Association; Federation of Bakers; The Packaging Federation; British Beer & Pub Association; Proprietary Association of Great Britain; National Association of Cider Makers; National Association of British and Irish Flour Millers