December 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will examine key issues for food security and UK supply chain.
The discussion is bringing together stakeholders with key policy officials due to attend from Defra; DIT; the FSA; the FCDO; DHSC; the NAO; the National Food Crime Unit; the CMA; the Crown Commercial Service; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ROI; the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; and the Welsh Government.
The discussion at a glance:
- legislation - proposals in the Agriculture Act and the Environment Bill, including moving towards payment for public goods and the introduction of an Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)
- UK transition - latest developments in the trade negotiations with the EU and their potential implications
- COVID-19 - including the impact of the pandemic on supply chains and those working in them, and on global food security
- net-zero - the Government’s commitment on emissions with its 2050 target
Relevant developments:
- Brexit Transition negations as the end-of-year deadline approaches
- the EFRA Committee on COVID-19 and food supply report:
- with recommendations - on consulting on legislation for a Right to Food after the Food Strategy’s publication, and appointing a Minister for Food Security
- the Government response - on support for suppliers, vulnerable groups’ access to food, reducing food waste, working with charities and local government, and monitoring food insecurity
- legislation - the Agriculture Act and the Environment Bill as the latter continues its passage through Parliament
- £1m to support transition to future farming system - Defra’s consultation on the future Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme and the Future Farming Resilience Funding scheme
- £25m available to help farmers boost productivity - the final round of the Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme
- the Trade and Agriculture Commission - created to advise government on trade competitiveness that supports animal welfare and environmental standards, consumer interests, and export and other opportunities for the UK food sector
- Farming for the future Policy and progress update - the Future for food, farming and the environment policy statement outlining further information about England’s agricultural policy
- A vision for future farming - outlined in a ministerial speech to farmers, focusing on increasing sustainable productivity and rolling out new technology in agriculture
- UK-wide consultation into dairy sector to tackle supply chain issues launched - looking at fairness in contract conditions and examining the market power of buyers
- Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK - the CCC report to Parliament which found that national plans affecting sectors such as agriculture are not taking sufficient account of climate change
Key discussion areas:
- EU trade negotiations:
- fishing rights, food and drink tariffs and reducing the risk of food shortages from January
- market access, supply chain resilience and food standards
- new trading relationships, the future relationship with the EU, and its impact on food standards, the food and farming workforce, and access to markets for UK businesses
- regulatory systems - including the OEP, implications of divergence at the end of the EU Exit Transition Period on domestic food production
- ELM - shaping an Environmental Land Management scheme to support sector productivity and meet environmental targets, as Defra launches a consultation on what any future scheme will look like
- the obesity and sustainability policy agendas - how the sector is adapting to moves to sustainable diets and net-zero targets, and its impact on food security
- innovation - new developments in crop science, agri-food and land use and assessing their potential in supporting industry to meet productivity and net zero emissions targets
- agricultural land use, sustainable diets and the pathway to net zero
The agenda:
- ‘UK Food Security and how has COVID-19 impacted it?’
- Key issues for food security and UK supply chain - developing an Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme that supports domestic food production, maintains standards and aids sector recovery from the pandemic
- Stakeholder perspectives on UK food security - the impact of Brexit, meeting environmental targets, and developing funding and regulatory mechanisms to support production
- Ethical questions: where and how should we grow our food on the road to net zero
- The effect of moves towards sustainable diets on UK food security and climate targets - managing the transition, adapting to consumer trends, and opportunities for novel foods
- Improving productivity and impact of regulatory divergence - opportunities and evolving issues for agri-food and crop science
- The Trade and Agriculture Commission and UK trade policy - developing markets, delivering for consumers, and supporting international development
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from both Houses of Parliament, and officials from Defra; the Department for International Trade; the Food Standards Agency; the FCDO; the DHSC; the National Audit Office; the National Food Crime Unit; the CMA; the Crown Commercial Service; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ROI; the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; and the Welsh Government. Also due to attend are representatives from the AHDB; Ashbury Labelling; Bimringham Food Council CIC; Centre for Alternative Technology; CIELivestock; Clarke Willmott; Clasado Biosciences; Co-op; Compass Group UK & Ireland; Craigmore; Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture; Devenish; Elsoms Seeds; Finsbury Foods; Flood Prevention Society; Food and Drink Federation; Food Standards Scotland; Holstein UK; Imperial College London; IntelliDigest; Kennedys Law; Lantra; Linklaters; Medway Council, Public Health; Met Office; Minor Weir and Willis; National Farmers Union; NSF International; Regenerative Food and Farming CIC; Richardson Milling UK; Royal Danish Embassy; RSPCA; RSPCA Assured; Telecommantra; UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering; Unite the Union; University of Leeds; University of Manchester (STFC Food Network Policy and Governance Liaison); University of Surrey; University of Sussex; University of the West of England, Bristol; University of York and WWF.
Press passes have been reserved by representatives from the Belfast Telegraph; Farmers Guardian; IHS Markit; Wicked Leeks; and 2020Dentistry.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
