Quality – not low price – must be watchword for farm exporters

BRITISH food and drink, produced to the very highest environmental and welfare standards, can struggle to compete on price with some produce from abroad.

Our adherence to tough rules and regulations – rightly demanded by the British public and enforced by law – sometimes makes some UK foodstuffs uncompetitive at the point in the market where producers fight it out to sell the largest volumes at the lowest prices.

But when it comes to measures of quality then British produce – in many areas – can compete with the very best from anywhere in the world. From our pasture-grazed beef and lamb to our regional cheeses and, increasingly, our wines, ciders and beers, Britain now stands shoulder to shoulder with other nations, including those in Europe, which have been famous for their food and drink for generations.

That fact is increasingly recognised by the government as it goes in search of new export markets for British goods in the wake of Brexit. It is fair to say that talking about exports to a group of farmers, as Trade Secretary Liz Truss did at the National Farmers Union conference yesterday, takes some nerve. Many of the promises of an export deal with the EU which would make hardly a ripple of difference compared to what went before have, so far, proved very wide of the mark.

The difficulties could easily have been predicted. They are one reason organisations like the NFU urged its members to vote remain in the 2016 referendum. However, we are where we are; many farmers sick of the Common Agriculture Policy chose to vote to leave the EU; they know they must make the best of it and are ready to do so.

Yesterday’s announcement by Ms Truss of an “Open Doors” policy that will encourage farming and food businesses to advertise their produce abroad needs more than warm words from the minister, particularly when it comes to sustaining and expanding current markets into Europe.

But there is absolutely no question that if the channels are opened up then British farmers can create demand and meet it. For too long UK producers have failed to fully capitalise on the great quality of their produce. While Italians make exulted claims for their Parmesan cheese, the Spanish promote their Iberico ham and the French rave about pretty much everything they put on their plates, UK producers have sought to let the produce speak for itself. If this Open Doors initiative does nothing else, it should do more of the heavy promotional lifting that will help some great British farm produce get the exposure it needs.

If more export markets do open up at the same time as British consumers continue to show the loyalty to UK produce that has been conspicuous in recent years then the future is set fair. Farming has seldom seen as dramatic a change as it has gone through in the past few years and the pace is likely to pick up before it settles down. Farmers are nothing, however, if not innovative. Brexit provides opportunities as well as challenges and our fine food producers must be ready to exploit them.