Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
    •  
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Poultry News
    • Production
      • Broiler Production
      • Ducks
      • Egg Production
      • Game
      • Hatching
      • Housing
      • Turkeys
    • Processing
    • Business & Politics
      • Business
      • Economics
      • EU & Politics
      • Marketing
      • People
      • Training & Education
    • Welfare
      • Environment
      • Food Safety
      • Vet & Medication
      • Welfare
    • Feed
    • Genetics
    • New Products
    • Magazines
      1. June 2022
      2. May 2022
      3. April 2022
      4. February 2022
      5. January 2022
      6. December 2021
      7. November 2021
      Featured

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      By Michael BarkerJune 1, 2022
      Recent

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – June 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – May 2022

      May 6, 2022
    • Jobs
      • Browse Jobs
      • Post a Job
      • Manage Jobs
    • Events
      • National Egg and Poultry Awards
      • Poultry Fair
    Poultry News
    Business

    Comment: It’s been a challenging year, but we will continue to hold this government to account

    Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanJanuary 12, 20214 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    By Mark Williams, chief executive, British Egg Industry Council 

    2020 was an eventful year, with plenty of challenges and changes that we have all had to adapt to. Like in the UK, many countries are struggling with the global Covid-19 pandemic that has undermined almost every developed economy in the world, and claimed over a million lives worldwide, and over 70,000 in the UK. The UK has just entered a double dip recession, as a direct result of the virus and the successive lockdowns that have been needed to stem the infection rate that has been rising exponentially over the past few weeks. This will undoubtedly continue to impact those businesses that supply the food service sector, which has been badly hit given the shutdown of caterers, restaurants, bars and cafes. Even though the UK is making progress with the vaccination rollout, it will be many months before we return to a semblance of normality. Until then, we must continue to take every reasonable precaution to protect ourselves, especially those in the high-risk categories, who are earmarked to receive the vaccine as a priority.

    2020 was also a challenging year for our industry, as cases of highly pathogenic H5N8 Avian Influenza were detected both in poultry flocks and wild birds. In fact, even before the turn of the year we had seen more cases of H5N8 HPAI than during the whole of 2016/17 AI ‘season’, which is of major concern. It is also disappointing to note that the virus has been detected in poultry flocks in Northern Ireland, which given its geographical location, would not normally be the case. What this should serve to remind everyone in the UK ‘egg chain’ is that no one can afford to take their eye off the ball in terms of maintaining the highest levels of biosecurity … biosecurity … biosecurity.

    We did have some good news on Christmas Eve, and that was the draft trade agreement between the UK and the EU. It had taken many months of negotiations, and there were several points in time in which it looked like no-deal was a very real outcome. This would have been disastrous for the UK and for the EU, especially through the prism of Covid-19 having already decimated many European economies. It would have of course been just as damaging for UK agriculture, as well as for British consumers, who would certainly have had to face rising food prices, that would harm the most financially vulnerable – particularly those who have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the pandemic, or those who have lost a third of their monthly income after being furloughed. The draft agreement is more than likely to be formally agreed by the EU institutions within the coming weeks, it offers the UK quota and tariff free access to the world’s largest market.

    The reality is the deal will never offer us the same benefits as being inside the Single Market. There will be an economic cost for our industry in terms of red tape, which we did not have to contend with during the transition period. These costs must be absorbed by businesses that operate within our industry, and ultimately the consumer is likely to pay more for the product. The UK Government cannot just say the UK-EU trade relationship is settled, they must continue to work with the UK agriculture sector over the coming months and years to push the EU to agree to reduce red tape whenever possible, as an equitable outcome for both sides. This will of course be intrinsically linked to how the Government protects our high standards of animal welfare, food safety, and both consumer, and environmental protection.

    The BEIC will continue to hold the Government to account regarding trade negotiations they are pursing around the world, which we will do by working with the Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC), and through ongoing bilateral engagement with officials and policymakers across the UK. 2021 and beyond are years that will see many challenges, as well as opportunities, for British agriculture to further innovate and flourish, but only with the right tools and the right policy landscape. The UK could be at the forefront of an international drive towards a more sustainable model of free trade that would demonstrate real substance to the Global Britain brand.

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleCOVID-19 outbreak hits 2 Sisters’ Coupar Angus plant
    Next Article Nuffield Farming Scholarship applications open 13 January
    Chloe Ryan

    Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

    Read Similar Stories

    Business

    Vencomatic UK is now part of the Vencomatic Group

    June 15, 2022
    Business

    New Shared Services company to create 60 new jobs

    June 7, 2022
    Business

    Gressingham purchases second Smithfield Market business

    May 30, 2022
    Most Read

    Royal Veterinary College joins UK’s top scientists to combat increasing cases of bird flu

    June 23, 2022

    NFU: Government funding for Avian Influenza research is ‘positive step’

    June 23, 2022

    Farmers’ input sought for new animal welfare scheme

    June 22, 2022
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Contractor
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
    explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
    ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
    tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo