With 400,000 employees and a ’76.2bn annual turnover the UK’s food and drink manufacturing industry is one of Britain’s great success stories and Welsh farmers can be proud to be part of the largest industry in the UK manufacturing sector. Terry Jones, Communications Director for the UK Food and Drink Federation, told Monmouthshire farmers at the recent NFU Cymru county conference.
Terry Jones said, ’Although we’re a great success story the issues that affect you as the primary producer are the same faced by those food and drink federation (FDF) members who then turn what you produce into high value products. The NFU and the FDF work closely together to lobby Government on food security; abuses of market power and tackling the burdens of regulation.’
Although it is already the biggest industry in the UK manufacturing sector recently the Food and Drink Federation launched their vision for an extra 20% growth of the UK food and drink manufacturing industry by 2020. Terry explained to NFU Cymru members that the drivers for growth included an increasingly elderly population; worldwide population growth and the expansion of own label products. He said, ’There are great opportunities out there but producers have got to grasp them. If food and drink producers do well then farmers do well.’
Colin Phillips, Monmouthshire NFU Cymru Chairman said, ’It’s very pleasing to hear that the two industries, which are so closely linked, are singing off the same hymn sheet when it comes to lobbying Government. We welcome the joint work being done on our behalf by the NFU and the Food and Drink Federation to highlight the issues we face.’
Euryn Jones, HSBC Regional Agriculture Manager Wales, the event’s sponsor, echoed the County Chairman’s welcome of joint working to highlight issues such as food security and added that HSBC is pleased that the value of food and food production to the economy is finally being recognised.
