New Defra campaign to back British farming and advance food exports

Defra has assigned 2016 as the ‘Year of British Food’ and will run a many different events throughout the coming year
Defra has assigned 2016 as the ‘Year of British Food’ and will run a many different events throughout the coming year

The UK government will launch Great British Food Unit to advance food exports, it has been unveiled today. The project will focus on enhancing exports and boost inward investment.

As a joint work of UKTI and Defra, Great British food Unit will incorporate their global network in embassies – to make the government “better coordinated and more efficient.”

It will likewise be tasked with multiplying the quantity of traineeships in the British food industry and expanding the quantity of UK Protected Food Names from 64 to 200.

The unit, a part of Defra’s new five-year Great British Food campaign, will send envoys including chef’s Ken Hom and Raymond Blanc, Wensleydale Creamery MD David Hartley and Anglesey Sea Salt proprietor Alison Lea-Wilson to attend trade shows and food celebrations to champion British food.

Defra has assigned 2016 as the ‘Year of British Food’ and will run a many different events throughout the coming year. The first one of this series will be the initiation of ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign to “acclaim the best in British food over the UK and abroad”.

To highlight how the British diet has evolved in the last 40 years, Defra will soon be releasing the most detailed data on families’ eating habits ever published.

Speaking ahead of the inauguration, Environment secretary Liz Truss said: “The UK has risen up out of a dull age in food where time after time taste and quality were overlooked. We are presently changing ourselves and taking our place as a standout amongst the most energizing food cultures on the planet, utilizing a remarkable mix of tradition, innovation and openness.

The NFU today welcomed the launch of the new Defra five-year Great British Food campaign.

In August, NFU called for a focus on agricultural growth which would be a partnership of industry and government Backing British Farming; valuing and buying more British food and helping to set a framework which supports increasing production and this campaign will play a vital part in this.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “We are glad to see Government and leading food pioneers backing this campaign which will highlight the importance of backing British Farming.

“Anything which can showcase British farming and farmers, not just for they food they produce, but for the value the British farming industry adds to the economy, employment and our beautiful and diverse countryside is a step in the right direction.”

Mr Raymond added: “The British public have told us time and time again that they want to buy British and we hope that this campaign will help them to increasingly have that option in the future.”