General Election 2024: AIC's core asks on UK food security, trade and sustainability
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) has set out its core asks of the next UK Government on food security, trade and sustainability after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a General Election for 4 July 2024.
Earlier this year AIC - the UK trade association for the nation's agricultural supply businesses - launched its General Election 2024 manifesto, with three major asks on enhancing food security, improving trade with the EU and between UK nations, and standardising sustainability metrics.
Visit the General Election 2024 webpage for more information.
AIC represents businesses that supply UK farmers and growers with the animal feed, fertiliser, seed, crop protection products, trusted advice and quality services that are essential to producing food, as well as trading crops and commodities across the globe.
The trade association is a UK-wide voice for the businesses providing the products, services and trade assurance schemes that are vital for the secure supply of - and cast-iron confidence in – our country’s food, drink, and animal feed.
Download AIC's 2024 General Election manifesto
Key asks of Government
AIC is asking the next UK Government to:
- Deliver on the "Powering Productivity for Sustainable UK Food Security" report recommendation of an independent UK Food Security Committee, a move which has gathered widespread support from farming unions, politicians and academics since the report's launch at AIC Conference in November 2023
- Improve trade by addressing policy divergence between the UK and EU, as well as within the UK home nations
- Standardise sustainability metrics, ensuring that UK agriculture is not disadvantaged
AIC's Chief Executive, Robert Sheasby, said: "The agri-supply sector is a fundamental part of the wider food supply chain, supplying farmers and growers with the essential products, trusted advice and quality services they need in order to feed the nation.
"AIC's key asks are to deliver on the “Powering Productivity for Sustainable UK Food Security” report recommendation of an independent UK Food Security Committee, to address policy divergence between the UK and EU, as well as within the UK home nations, and for standardisation of sustainability metrics."
Over the coming weeks ahead of the General Election, AIC is set to engage with Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to make the case for its core manifesto asks and ensure the vital role of the UK's agricultural supply industry is understood.
Go to the General Election 2024 webpage for more information on AIC's manifesto and to get in touch with the policy team.
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Author
Oli Hill
As Head of Communications, Oli creates and oversees the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media. A qualified multimedia journalist, he previously spent six years working at Farmers Weekly magazine as a Senior Reporter on the arable team, and latterly as Community Editor. More recently he was Communications Manager at Red Tractor.
