UK – The National Farmers’ Union (NFU’s) closed this year’s annual general meeting with a call for the UK food industry to follow the lead of the dairy sector.

Speaking in his closing speech, NFU president Ben Gill said: “We need the progress recently made in the milk sector to be replicated elsewhere. We farmers and growers need a world standard food processing sector if we are to survive and prosper.” In his speech, Gill also called for fair competition in the UK food industry. He went on to suggest that the Competition Commission should allow larger companies in the UK dairy industry. “The efforts of the entire food chain will be made immeasurably more effective if the government does everything it can to remove obstacles ad burdens and to positively assist us,” he said.

Last week, ConnectingDairy reported that UK farming minister Margaret Beckett would push the government to relax the Competition Commission’s approach.