British food exports to see £500m investment
The government has launched a £500m campaign to boost British food exports.
The Food and Drink International Action Plan will benefit a thousand food and drink firms across the UK, according to DEFRA and the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) department.
The initiative is part of the government’s overall ambition to raise UK exports to £1 trillion and encourage 100,000 more UK companies to exploit the export market.
A DEFRA statement said fewer than one in 10 small and medium-sized businesses exported produce so there was huge potential to increase the number of businesses selling to customers abroad.
“Brand Britain is recognised and revered internationally. The Food and Drink Exports Action Plan and the launch of ‘Food is GREAT’ are important, as they will give quality British produce an even higher profile, boost our economy and create jobs.”
Owen Paterson, DEFRA secretary
The food export plan forms a new part of a wider campaign called GREAT which promotes British goods and encourages the world to visit, study and do business with the UK.
Through the Food is GREAT campaign UKTI will deliver a two-year programme of activity to win markets including Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao, China, USA and Europe.
The action plan aims to:
- Increase competitiveness of the dairy industry
- Increase beer, cider, wine and spirit exports
- Leverage the opportunities for UK brands internationally
- Open new markets and simplify paperwork
- Provide government export support
The action plan was launched by DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson at the Anuga food and drink fair in Germany on 6 October.
Speaking from Anuga, Mr Paterson said: “Brand Britain is recognised and revered internationally. The Food and Drink Exports Action Plan and the launch of ‘Food is GREAT’ are important, as they will give quality British produce an even higher profile, boost our economy and create jobs.”
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