Defra has claimed a new exports action plan and updated branding will provide a boost for British food and drink firms of up to £500 million.   

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Defra and the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) body have developed the plan and a new marketing campaign to promote British produce overseas as part of a bid to raise the value of food and drink exports to £1 trillion, whilst getting 100,000 more UK companies to export their wares.

The new-look export drive was unveiled by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson on Sunday evening at Anuga, the world's leading food and drink trade fair, held in Cologne, Germany.

Defra maintains that, as the UK's largest manufacturing sector, with a turnover of over £90 billion, food and drink holds "huge untapped potential for export among small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)." Around 90 percent of UK food businesses are currently not exporting, and those that are primarily do so with only close European neighbours.

The food and environment department believes there is potential for further growth in the export sales, which grew by 15 per cent last year, compared to 3 percent for total food and drink sales. UK food and drink exports have grown by 61 percent over the last five years, according to Defra.

GREAT new marketing campaign

The new marketing campaign, operating under the GREAT banner, aims "to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK." Through the GREAT Britain campaign, of which Food is Great is a central 'pillar', UKTI will promote British food and drink to markets including Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao, China, USA and Europe over the next two years.

Speaking from Anuga, Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson said, "The Food and Drink Exports Action Plan and the launch of 'Food is GREAT'… will give quality British produce an even higher profile, boost our economy and create jobs. There are huge opportunities for British food companies to export all over the world and I’m determined to help our firms exploit them."

Chef and ambassador for the Food is GREAT campaign, Tom Aikens, has created a menu for the delegates to showcase the best of British produce and improve international perceptions of the UK's food offering.

Tom Aikens commented, "People are becoming increasingly concerned with the origins of what they are consuming and exactly what they are eating. One of life's luxuries is being able to discover the heritage of your food and being truly educated in what you are eating.

"The Food is GREAT Campaign really celebrates the hard work and dedication of some of the best suppliers in the world."

According to Defra, the Food and Drink International Action Plan support will include:

• creation of a partnership between government and industry to drive forward action on exports and to steer priorities
• a single strong UK brand identity to help increase the visibility of UK food and drink at the world's major food events and exhibitions
• well-publicised and focussed campaigns on the largest opportunities for the UK sector matched to its strengths
• more support and advice on exporting – with simple access points for UK firms – to speed the pace of international growth for UK firms
• faster export certification process for animals and animal products
• continued work to lift trade barriers, promote trade and maintain access to open markets already opened.

The department said its new plan will also provide specific support for the dairy industry; beer, cider, wine and spirits exports; meat and seafood industries and UK food brands.

In July 2013, the government published its Agricultural Technologies industrial strategy. Defra said the UK agri-tech sector would play a vital supporting role in boosting the profile of the country's food exports. Defra said, "Agri-technology presents the UK with greater exporting opportunities in emerging markets. Government aims to leverage the innovative nature of the UK sector to share knowledge and expertise to address global issues such as food security."

However, as with previous export drives, questions persist around the government's eagerness to push exports of resource-dense foods to 'emerging economies' in the name of food security.

Speaking to Farming Online ahead of the government's food trade show held last year to coincide with the Olympic Games, former farmer and a professor at City University's Centre for Food Policy,  Tim Lang said drives such as these risk repeating the mistakes of earlier, failed, government initiatives and cementing into place an unsustainable food paradigm.

Professor Lang called on the government to commit to a cohesive food policy, which would help work towards a "decarbonised, water reduced, socially just food system." He said that driving up exports of resource-intensive, luxury food items would not help achieve international food security and argued that efforts to ramp up exports are naïve.

The professor told Farming Online, "For decades, there has been a fantasy within government that more exports will be a panacea for the massive food trade gap. While appreciating the hard work of and by exporters, the financial drain the trade gap continues to make will only be addressed if more food is grown more sustainably and consumed here."

He added, "Basically, the UK's food system is unduly parasitic on the planet and other countries' land and labour. We need to shift to an ecologically sound food policy. This is not happening. A few niche products is not the same thing as a sustainable food system. Alas, business logic still pursues cheapness above all other criteria. This is folly. It's partly why the UK's food footprint is so lamentably high."