The Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Australia and New Zealand risk significantly undercutting domestic products, endanger food standards and threaten sustainability, according to members of Scottish government and the Welsh meat processing community....
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions, trade restrictions and supply chain disruption will lead to food price rises and the possibility of temporary shortages, according to the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
The spectre of increased fuel prices is looming over the food industry and is set to disrupt consumer purchasing habits, according to Adam Starkey, managing director of public sector meals supplier Green Gourmet.
The UK food industry needs more information 'urgently' to prepare for imports from the EU, MPs have told Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice.
The UK’s agreement of free-trade deal with New Zealand will provide significant future growth of exporters, but concerns surrounding animal welfare and competitiveness for UK business were prevalent among producers.
Brexit red tape has cost food businesses £60m in 2021, as continued shortages of registered veterinarians placed pressure on an industry already stretched thin after the UK’s split from the EU.
Grocery market buoyancy may be waning alongside the lifting of restrictions, but the meat category is still performing well against the pre-pandemic period.
Maintaining enough workers to keep businesses viable has been 'the overwhelming concern' for meat wholesalers in 2021, according to Alan McNaughton, president of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW).
The Government has extended the Seasonal Workers visa scheme to the end of 2024 to allow foreign workers to pick edible and ornamental crops, but employers were warned this isn’t a long-term solution.
A balance of domestic and export markets was the key to long-term prosperity for the UK meat industry, according to Meat Promotion Wales chair Catherine Smith.
An inquiry into the Australia-UK free trade agreement's (FTA) impact on the food chain has been launched by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee.
£2.7bn was wiped off UK food and drink exports in the first three quarters of 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels, driven largely by a drop in exports to the EU.
A parliamentary committee has challenged Home Office minister Kevin Foster MP to clarify comments he made about visas for pork butchers from overseas, which appear to contradict other experts' claims.
UK pork, poultry and egg producers are protected from imports from their Australian counterparts by tariffs, although beef producers have weaker privileges, while an animal welfare clause is included in the Aussie-UK FTA.
Continuing labour shortages and other issues hitting supply chains have knocked food and drink companies' business confidence, a new report has revealed.
The number of emergency visas granted by the Government to pork butchers has been described as 'disappointing' by the British Meat Processors Association.(BMPA).
A leading committee of MPs has expressed 'deep concern' about further Government delays on implementing checks on food imports from the EU, claiming it could undermine the competitiveness of British businesses.
Over the last few weeks, the pig sector has been in crisis as a shortage of butchers, a shortage of lorry drivers and an increase in pig numbers came together at the worst possible time.
2 Sisters Food Group president Ranjit Singh Boparan has praised the Government's temporary visa scheme for seasonal poultry workers, claiming it has helped source up to 900 EU workers in the run-up to Christmas.
The UK’s free trade agreement threatens to be a one sided deal with little benefit for British producers that risks sacrificing food security and standards, warned members of the food and drink industry.
In an effort to tackle supply chain issues, the Government backtracked on its refusal to allow 'unskilled' labour into the UK and announced a temporary visa scheme for overseas HGV drivers, poultry workers and now pork butchers. The situation...
Action needs to be taken to curb the ‘terrifying’ rate of food inflation in the UK, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) chief executive Ian Wright has warned.
Food and drink manufacturers reported the sharpest month-on-month price increases, as input cost inflation neared record highs, according to the latest Lloyds Bank UK Recovery Tracker.
Government plans to allow 800 foreign abattoir workers into the UK on temporary visas will address immediate issues, but larger labour issues still need to addressed, warned members of the industry.
The shortage of qualified veterinarians in the UK continued to threaten exports to EU countries, with Wales hit the hardest by the shortfall, according to provider Eville & Jones.
The European Commission (EC) is offering to halve the amount of paperwork for goods exported from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI) and slash food, plant and animal health customs checks by 80%.
UK seafood firms could avoid costly import tariffs thanks to the free trade agreement (FTA) between Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and the UK, according to a report, but the deal was largely 'an exercise in damage limitation'.
Kraft Heinz chief executive Miguel Patricio has warned people to get used to higher food prices, as rising production costs continue to put pressure on producers.
The food industry's official recommendations for a National Food Strategy include doubling R&D spend, overhauling Apprenticeships, launching a skills campaign and a call for closer Government collaboration.
Delays to the implementation of post-Brexit import controls risk creating an uneven playing field for UK producers against their EU rivals, according to members of the food and drink industry.
Reports are surfacing of substantial amounts of vegetables going to waste that would otherwise be destined for fresh produce or frozen food processors because of the lack of labour required to harvest them.
The food industry faces 'the worst skills crisis in our lifetime', according to Andrew Brodie, Avara Foods people and communications director, one of the participants in Food Manufacture's 9 September webinar tackling the issue.
The president and founder of 2 Sisters Food Group has warned the UK will see 'the worst food shortages in 75 years' caused by bigger issues than the 'pingdemic' unless the Government acts swiftly.
Typhoo Tea Ltd, maker of brands such as Lift and Heath & Heather has been acquired by private equity firm Zetland Capital, enabling it to invest in production and boost jobs.
Having relinquished the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) presidency after an intense four-years, Dunbia's business public relations director (UK) Isla Roebuck tackles Brexit, the skills shortage and Dunbia's joint venture with Dawn...
An extension to Wyke Farms's Wincanton cheese store and export packing facility was completed in February 2021, transforming it into an export centre of excellence and the timing was perfect, says operations director Pete Hooper.
Soanes Poultry has invested in a new training facility at its Middleton on the Wolds factory as the industry continues to feel the sting of a shortage of labour in the wake of Brexit.
Members of the UK food and drink industry have cautiously welcomed the agreement of a free trade deal between the UK and Australia, but questioned the lack of detail surrounding competitiveness and animal welfare.
Members from across Scotland’s food and farming industry have accused the UK government of neglecting trade with its biggest export market in its rush to secure new trade deals.
UK cheese, meat and whisky producers are set to benefit from a new trade deal agreed with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein worth £21.6bn, according to trade secretary Liz Truss.
Post-Brexit bureaucracy is still hampering cheese producer Wyke Farms' export efforts, although the company is making considerable headway in markets outside the EU, according to managing director Richard Clothier in the latest FoodMan Talks.
Suggestions the Government aims to sign a zero-tariff trade deal with Australia have amplified food industry fears about the damaging, anti-competitive effect this could have on UK farmers.
UK producers will struggle to compete with overseas rivals if zero tariff trade with Australia is approved by the Government, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned.
The Government has placed British food producers ‘at the bottom of the list’ for migrant workers thanks to ‘unnecessary and costly’ uncertainty surrounding delayed Seasonal Workers Pilot announcements, according to MPs.
