Attachés from around the world have returned to the UK to meet with ministers, farmers and producers to unlock trade barriers and boost UK exports.
Agri-food and drink attachés were welcomed to 10 Downing Street, preparing for a week of touring the UK visiting places such as egg farms and meat processors to better understand the farmers and producers whose interests they represent overseas.
The UK attachés are based in embassies in Canada, Mexico, USA, Brazil, Kenya, The Gulf, India, Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam. They will meet with Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mark Spencer and attend a brunch hosted by NFU president Minette Batters, as well as meeting with Seafood Scotland, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Food and Drink Export Council.
Secretary of State for Food and Farming Steve Barclay said: “Backing British farmers is one of my priorities at Defra and our attachés do vital work to ensure they get the best possible deals to export their world-class produce.
“We are expanding the attaché network even further next year, so that our excellent food and drink can continue to reach all corners of the globe.”
NFU president Minette Batters said: “Agri-food attachés play a vital role in delivering our shared ambition of boosting high-quality, climate-friendly British exports abroad which is why we campaigned to grow their number. I’m delighted this network has increased in recent months and I hope it will continue given the incredibly important work they do."
Dr Phil Hadley, AHDB international trade development director, said: “We are delighted to play a part in hosting the visit of the Government’s agri-food attachés. AHDB recognises the valuable role they play in helping drive export growth.
"We applaud the Government’s continued efforts to expand the agri-food attaché network further to maximise opportunities for our products in global markets.
"One of AHDB’s key strategic objectives is export development, working collaboratively with industry and government, to cultivate further opportunities for our red meat and dairy sectors. The visit of the agri-food attachés will help cement our shared ambition to continue delivering export growth for our high-quality produce."
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.
