The FDF today (January 22) praised trade minister Lord Livingstone's proposals to write to the UK's 8,900 mid-sized businesses offering UK Trade & Investment support.
"We welcome this action ... which we hope will further encourage UK food and drink mid-sized businesses to export," said Steve Barnes, FDF director of economic and commercial services.
In this exclusive video filmed at Food Manufacture’s Business Leaders’ Forum in London yesterday (January 21), Leech spoke of the need for such encouragement: “We are victims of our own success."
“Governments haven’t felt they have needed to take a high profile in sponsoring the industry and championing us, because we have done a good job of growing and being successful without that intervention,” claimed Leech.
'Deeper pockets'
“... What we have to recognise is our competitor countries are also focusing on exports as a route to growth. While we are investing, they are investing too and it sometimes seems that they have deeper pockets than we do in the UK …”
Her remarks, immediately preceding Lord Livingstone's announcement, were well-timed.
Food Manufacture's Business Leaders' Forum was staged in association with law firm Stephenson Harwood and sponsored by Agrantec, Intertek, Tata Consultancy, insurance firm Aon, Columbus IT and NSF International.