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The divisive debate around Brexit means there will have to be a period of reconciliation to bring the UK back together, a leading figure in the agri food industry has suggested.
Giving his views at the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) annual dinner, held outside Enniskillen last week, Ian Wright, director general of the UK Food and Drink Federation, contrasted the current mood with that of the London Olympics in 2012.
“In my lifetime, I have never seen anything like this. We have got to find a way to bring this ghastly Brexit process to an end. There will also have to be a process of reconciliation, and we will look for advice on that from NI,” he told over 300 UFU members and guests.
During his speech, Wright also highlighted other issues of concern for the food industry. He was critical of government and politicians, who he said had forgotten the importance of food. “If you can’t feed a country, you don’t have a country,” he said.
On the rise of food trends such as veganism, or gluten-free, Wright said that too often people are making ill-informed choices, driven by social media.
He also highlighted food waste, with recent figures suggesting that up to 25% of all food is thrown away. “If we weren’t talking about Brexit, we would all currently be talking about the scandal of food waste” he said.
UFU president
In his remarks at the same event, UFU president Ivor Ferguson also had a strong message for political leaders. He questioned whether those who promote a no-deal or hard Brexit care at all for the future of NI family farms. He also rounded on local politicians for their failure to get Stormont up and running.
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