A report by the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) includes four recommendations that, it said, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss must immediately implement “if there are not to be widespread business closures” across the UK meat industry.
The trade body has published a short report that looks to illustrate the scale of the increases in electricity costs and the effects that these are having on its members.
A spokesperson for AIMS Tony Goodger said: “With the cost of living likely to be top of the new Prime Minister’s in-tray, it is the unprecedent rise in input costs which are leading to a cost of production crisis for manufacturing businesses. Key among these increases is the cost of electricity.”
Goodger explained that AIMS members are approaching the trade body say that they are “horrified by the amounts their bills have increase by. In most cases, these are triple digit percentages.”
He continued: “Businesses with cash in bank earmarked for expansion, site upgrades or other investment is now being eaten away simply by having to pay extortionate electricity bills.
“We are urging the new Prime Minister and cabinet to adopt the four simple and quick recommendations we are proposing in order that input costs can be held in check and increased cost of production are not passed to consumers in ever increasing price hikes.”
AIMS works with several business service suppliers to help members reduce their power bills and to find sources of business finance. It said that a failure to act could see rurally based businesses being forced to close, which in turn could have wider implications for the local economy and the communities in which they are based.
Goodger continued: “It is our belief that the cost of production is the single most important issue for Liz Truss, the new incoming Prime Minister, as is it this which is driving inflation and thus the cost of living crisis.
“There has never been a more pressing time for businesses to look at every kilowatt hour of energy spend and to check that it is being purchased on the best terms and applied in the most efficient manner.”
He added: “We urge the new PM to act now and act decisively not just on behalf of our members but the whole of the food and drink industry who are all facing the same challenges.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
