Temporary Uk-wide fund to aid red meat industry
A temporary £2 million sticking plaster has been placed over one of the longest-running sores in the farming industry with the setting up of a Uk-wide fund to promote beef, pork and lamb sales.
In a joint statement yesterday, the red meat levy bodies in England, Scotland and Wales announced a major programme of joint activities to be paid for by a ring-fenced fund of £2 million of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) red meat levies.
This is an interim arrangement while a longterm solution remains to be found on the issue of levies being collected at point of slaughter in England for animals which have been reared in Scotland or Wales. The issue has remained unresolved for more than a decade and is reckoned to have cost the Scottish red meat industry more than £1m per annum over that period.
Yesterday’s announcement follows 12 months of talks between the three bodies after the parameters of the fund were set out by ministers early last year.
One reason for the temporary nature of the solution is that changing the legislation will require Parliamentary time, which is in short supply.
0 The fund will help promote beef, pork and lamb sales
Jane King, AHDB chief executive, said: “Though we already work closely with our colleagues in HCC [the Welsh promotional body] and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) on various projects, this new arrangement will take our collaboration to a whole new level with all three organisations deciding jointly how we will invest this fund to make the biggest impact for the red meat sectors.”
For Alan Clarke, chief executive of QMS, yesterday’s deal was an acceptance of the movement of livestock around GB and the impact this has on each of the levy bodies.
He said: “The priority now is to ensure we maximise the benefit to levy payers of the activities delivered from the ringfenced fund. This collaboration gives us the opportunity to take a joined-up approach to issues that affect the industry, regardless of geography.” Although just announced, there is already agreement between the three promotional bodies that for the financial year 2018-19 the new joint fund will focus on a number of priority areas.
These include supporting international shows and export events, where the ring-fenced fund will boost the international presence and access for British meat in key overseas markets.
Particular focus will be placed on preparing the red meat sector for the potential challenges and opportunities that are likely to follow Brexit.
Some of the funding will also go on positive messaging to counteract messages circulated by the antimeat lobby, while work on antimicrobial resistance is expected to dominate the research investment.