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NewsFEA welcomes new strategy but seeks clarity on specific aid for the foodservice equipment industry

FEA welcomes new strategy but seeks clarity on specific aid for the foodservice equipment industry

UK Government announces new international trade strategy, but will it help the foodservice sector grow exports?

FEA welcomes new strategy but seeks clarity on specific aid for the foodservice equipment industry

The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) has welcomed the government’s announcement of its first Trade Strategy since leaving the EU but urges that it needs to ensure the announced funding includes commercial kitchen equipment sector as part of its aim to help grow British export business.

With the continuing global economic uncertainty and coming in the wake of the trade deals signed with the US, EU and India recently, the trade strategy aims to give British businesses greater access to global markets. This will be achieved by a new “Ricardo fund” which will help companies navigate foreign regulations to make overseas business easier, alongside a £20 billion funding boost to the UK Export Finance agency to create a new Small Exports Builder giving smaller firms access to export protection insurance.

It also aims to make the Trade Remedies Authority more agile and responsive to enable it to be more effective in protecting British businesses as well as having the UK join the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), helping UK firms resolve trade disputes through the World Trade Organisation.

FEA is a member of Export Partners UK, a collective of more than thirty trade associations that are actively engaging with the government to help develop policy and better support international trade. With the continued turbulence around tariffs and international trade FEA is pleased that the government is taking decisive steps to better support British businesses but suggests that there are proven methods of helping to grow export trade that have not been mentioned in the strategy that should form part of the solution.

“The government used to fund the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP), providing financial support to companies wanting to exhibit at international trade shows,” says John Cunningham, Chief Executive of FEA. “Trade shows are vital for sectors like foodservice equipment, and since the government ceased funding the TAP it has placed barriers in front of companies that wish to develop their export business, particularly into new markets.”

FEA has been lobbying the government to reinstate this funding since it was withdrawn given the importance of trade shows to its members. It is currently unclear whether the new funding could be used to support international trade shows, but FEA urges that serious consideration be given to doing so given the opportunities to growth they present to an industrial sector that has the potential to contribute even more to the UK economy.

“The government’s ambition to drive billions of pounds of new international trade is laudable and the new funding announced to support these aims will undoubtedly go some way towards achieving growth,” says John. “But we must remain conscious that the devil is in the detail; FEA is interested in what conditions might be attached to funding and will be keen to see our share of funding make its way into the commercial kitchen sector. We will continue working with and lobbying the government to ensure that the interests of the commercial kitchen equipment sector is heard.”

 

The FEA Industry Conference will be taking place on 12th & 13th November at De Vere Cotswold Water Park. Make sure you have the dates in your diary.

Are you looking for a particular foodservice equipment product or service?

FEA members operate across all of the product categories below:

  • Beverage
  • Cooking
  • Dealer / Wholesaler
  • Food Waste
  • Light Equipment and Food Preparation
  • Refrigeration
  • Servicing
  • Software
  • UK Fabrication and Manufacturing
  • Ventilation and Fire Suppression
  • Warewashing

You can search all FEA member products and services using our Meet Our Members filter. Simply filter by 'Product Type'.

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