By Tony Goodger, head of marketing and communications at The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS)
The war in Ukraine has provided the impetus for the Government to focus on the need for greater food security. Furthermore, it has recognised that the UK has a tech-led economy and the new Food Strategy’s emphasis on using technology to drive the food industry forward is welcome.
Of note to AIMS is the launch of an independent review to tackle labour shortages in the food supply chain. This, of course, doesn’t tackle the immediate problem that many of our members are facing with the recruitment and retention of staff, and we again call on Government to work with us on a short-term solution in respect to English language skills for meat and poultry sector workers.
We have been lobbying the Government since January for an extension to the seasonal poultry workers scheme and welcome the announcement of an extension to it, though believe that this needs to be introduced immediately to enable poultry businesses to recruit and train staff for the busy summer period as well as for the run-up to Christmas.
We would like the Government to remove the need for businesses to use their appointed labour providers and allow businesses to make their own staffing arrangements at a most affordable cost. Issues around the supply of CO2 have challenged the meat and poultry processing industry for the last four to five years.
The strategy has recognised this with the aim to incentivise the sector to use surplus CO2 from industrial processes. It is our view that too much CO2 from processes such as anaerobic digestion is simply let go into the atmosphere and, in the same way as the Government has recently challenged industry to develop alternatives to red diesel, it should offer grant money to capture all CO2 emissions from industrial processes for re-use in the food industry.
Concern for the environment is uppermost in the minds of many and the original proposal from Henry Dimbleby to reduce meat and dairy consumption by 30% was, we believe, never the solution. The proposed research into feed additives that can reduce methane emissions from livestock should provide reassurance for our country’s farmers that beef, lamb and dairy product remain on the nation’s menu and that this work, if successful, could add further sales benefits to British red meat in the valuable export markets. AIMS is very supportive of this pragmatic response from the Government in respect to a food strategy for England and will work with it and our members to deliver its vision.
The strategy shows that it has listened to the concerns of industry and accepted that it is through working with farming and food processing that together we can deliver health dividends for the country without the need for burdensome regulation.
