New Food and Drink Sector Council offers potential to coordinate response to skills challenges, says expert

Employment law expert Neil Black, who specialises in work in the food and drink sector, said that the challenges around attracting workers into the food and drink sector could become more acute as a result of Brexit. He said the new Food and Drink Sector Council offers industry the chance to highlight their concerns, and potential solutions, to the UK government.

The government announced that a Food and Drink Sector Council would be established in its industrial strategy paper last year. Representatives from the UK's agriculture, manufacturing, retail, logistics and hospitality sectors are on the Council.

On Monday, the Council met for the first time and agreed on priorities to address during the year. These include "boosting skills, agricultural productivity, improving the nation’s nutrition and building on emerging proposals to establish a sector deal", according to the government.

'Sector deals' are a set of measures that the government and industry have agreed to in other areas of the economy already, such as in the automotive, construction and life sciences markets, which are designed to boost productivity in those sectors.

Black said the formation of the new Council and setting of priorities for the year will be viewed as a "positive development" across the food and drink sector, and highlighted

"In particular, it is great to see a focus on boosting skills and a coordinated response by government and central players in the sector should go some way to address the skills shortages that have dogged the food and drink sector for some time," Black said. "A coordinated response of this kind will help combat the potential challenges that Brexit may present in terms of access to skills from Europe combined with the disappointing impact to-date of the apprenticeship levy."

Business secretary Greg Clark said: "From Scotch Whisky, to award winning cheeses and premium seafood, the produce from our thriving food and drink sector is in demand and enjoyed around the world. Through our modern industrial strategy and the Food and Drink Sector Council, the government is working together with industry to build on these exceptional strengths, boost its productivity and seize the future opportunities of this national success story."