Labour Party Conference

Food manufacturers should share research: Shadow DEFRA minister

02-Oct-2012 - Last updated on 17-Aug-2020 at 07:55 GMT

Huw Irranca-Davies: food manufacturers should share research results

The food and drink industry received its fair share of attention - and plaudits - at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester this week. It was held up as rare success story in tricky economic times by shadow secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mary Creagh. But there were also calls for food manufacturers to share research.

The food and drink industry received its fair share of attention - and plaudits - at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester this week.
It was held up as rare success story in tricky economic times by shadow secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mary Creagh.

She also told delegates in the conference hall that she wanted food and drink manufacturers to create the "new green jobs that Britain needs".

Food and Drink and Federation

Furthermore, her deputy Huw Irranca-Davies MP backed calls made at a fringe debate organised by the Food and Drink and Federation and National Farmers' Union for a "proper agri-food strategy" to be established for the UK.

It all sounds good in principle, but when you scratch under the surface of the political rhetoric, what exactly are ‘green jobs’ and what does a ‘proper agri-food strategy’ actually mean?

On Monday evening (October 1), at Manchester Town Hall, FoodManufacture.co.uk put these questions to Irranca-Davies, who also discussed why he believed food manufacturers should share their research results to help feed a growing global population.