A new mentorship programme to help UK farmers and food producers boost their exports has been launched by the Department for International Trade (DIT).
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The programme, run in partnership with Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), and the National Farmers Union (NFU), will match experienced exporters with businesses who are looking to export for the first time.
From a cheese exporter in Somerset to a lamb and beef supplier in Scotland, the mentoring programme represents farmers and food producers from across the UK. The mentors will give practical help and advice to would-be exporters through roundtables, mentoring sessions and newsletters.
New trade deals will help reduce tariffs, support jobs and open doors to new markets. Devon cheesemaker Quickes’ is already taking advantage of the USA’s decision to suspend 25% tariffs on British cheese and will be sharing their exporting tips with other dairy producers as part of the mentor scheme.
UK cheese exports to Australia currently face tariffs of up to 20% and slashing this tariff could be a major boost to companies like Somerset cheese exporter, Somerdale, who’ve been supplying British cheese to the Australian market for 15 years. A UK–Australia trade deal, which is expected to be agreed later this month, could have significant tariff–free benefits for our world leading food and drink industry.
There is global demand for British agriculture, food and drink businesses, with the UK exporting £21.7 billion worth of food and drink in 2020. By 2030, two-thirds of the world’s middle classes will be in Asia, creating new export opportunities for British farming.
The first round of unpaid mentors will focus on dairy and red meat, however seafood and packaged/processed food mentoring programmes will follow later in the year.
The scheme is part of DIT’s new strategy to boost agriculture exports into new markets, as 97% of the food and drink sector are SMEs but only 1 in 5 of food and drink businesses export.
DIT has secured trade agreements covering 67 countries plus the EU, worth £891bn of trade in 2019. Opening more doors for UK businesses, they are also seeking ambitious deals with the US, Australia and New Zealand, aligning with like-minded allies and applying to join CPTPP. ■