Next Welsh Government must support growth of vital food and drink industry border announcement

FDF Cymru and the BSDA’s key priorities outline three areas which will be fundamental to the success of the food and drink industry for the next five years. They are:
 
Support the growth of our vital food and drink industry:

• Place economic sustainability at the heart of Welsh policy making.
• Promote careers and apprenticeships in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
• Support food and drink businesses to seize upon new export opportunities.
• Strengthen the resilience of the sector by encouraging businesses to invest in technology.

Work with the sector to implement meaningful and practical measures to reduce obesity:

• Encourage healthier diets through positive government intervention.
• Rule out further taxation on food and drink.
• Support Welsh businesses to reformulate and promote their products.

Embrace green recovery challenges and opportunities:

• Enhance recycling infrastructure to capture materials including cartons and flexible plastics derived from households and businesses.
• Introduce a deposit return scheme in Wales.
• Support the food and drink supply chain to become more environmentally sustainable.
• Focus on product specific solutions for alternatives to difficult to recycle packaging.
• Create a dedicated decarbonisation fund for the Welsh food and drink sector.

With nearly 600 businesses employing over 24,000 people, food and drink manufacturing in Wales will play an integral role in the recovery of the Welsh economy. As the sector faces up to these challenges, FDF Cymru and the BSDA are committed to working with the next Welsh Government to realise the potential of the sector.
 
Pete Robertson, Chief Executive, FDF Cymru, said:
"As the food and drink industry begins its journey of recovery from the impacts of Covid-19, and adjusts to the terms of the UK’s new trading relationship with the EU, the Welsh Government must actively support the economic sustainability of the sector going forward."
 
Gavin Partington, Director General of the BSDA, said:
"The soft drinks sector supports nearly 16,000 jobs in Wales, and at a time where many manufacturers have been hampered by the ongoing shutdown of the hospitality industry, the Welsh Government needs to do all it can to help these businesses continue producing the wide range of products enjoyed by consumers in Wales and beyond."

For information, please contact press.office@fdf.org.uk 020 7836 2460.