‘Industry sidelined’ in bid to kick start eating out
The UK Government has missed an important trick in its “Eat Out to Help Out” initiative, it has been claimed – and deprived UK farmers of the opportunity to benefit from the scheme.
If the offer, which was designed to kick-start trade in restaurants bars and cafes, had been tied to dishes made primarily from Uk-produced ingredients, the expenditure – and the benefits – could have filtered down to primary producers, claimed the National Beef Association yesterday.
The Government-backed scheme offers to pay half the price of meals taken at participating restaurants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the month of August to incentivise the public to return to eating out as lockdown is lifted.
In a letter to the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, NBA interim chief executive Neil Shand, welcomed the move to stimulate the recovery of the economy by providing incentives.
However, he added: “We do feel that you have perhaps missed an opportunity to go one step further and to help our food producers – both beef farmers whom we represent, and the wider agriculture industry in general,” wrote Shand.
“Perhaps now is the time for the public and the service sector to thank their food producers by lending their support in some small way. It would be a way of showing the country’s appreciation to those who have worked tirelessly to feed the nation if the Government were to apply some pressure to the pubs and restaurants who will benefit from the extra funding.”
Shand said the NBA believed a well-devised PR campaign to stipulate that eateries source their food from within the UK would give the financial incentives, ultimately paid for by the UK tax-payer, a double benefit, helping to secure jobs within the industry and providing a well-deserved ‘thank you’ to those who have worked so hard to help us through this crisis.
Acknowledging the great resurgence of patriotism in recent months, which has helped during the dark times, Shand added:
“If we are to emerge from this crisis as a united and stronger nation, we need to pull together, making use of our inherent strengths and helping each other where possible to recover our economy.”
● A message which might have been slightly less well received by the sector was spelled out this week by the chair of the newly-formed Trade and Agriculture Commission, which was set up by the UK Government in the face of accusations that they were set to ditch the UK’S high food and farming production standards during trade deal negotiations with countries such as the US.
The former Tesco director, Tim Smith, called for an end to “alarmism” when it came to food issues such as hormone treated beef and chlorinated chicken.
Writing in a national newspaper he waded into the row about imported animal products that were farmed using methods banned in Britain and said that a “clear-eyed” perspective should prevail.