George tells BBC Radio Norfolk “Food and Agriculture are key export markets that we need to support”
27th January 2012
Speaking on BBC Radio Norfolk this morning, George called for support for the UK’s food and agriculture sector and an end to unnecessary red tape holding back our export potential.
George, a former Parliamentary Officer for the NFU, said:
“Last week I visited Cranswick Country Foods, one of the biggest employers in Mid Norfolk, who are currently trying to export their pork products to China. This is a company who supply Jamie Oliver, Tesco’s Finest, and the top retailers in the UK, but they are being held back by red tape from opportunities in the Far East.
British farming and agriculture is a major exporter, but we export more to Belgium than to the fastest growing countries such as India, China, Brazil and Mexico. We need to change this. The truth is we set the highest standard in this country when it comes to health and safety and I am rightly proud of that, but petty regulations should not stand in the way of our growth. We need the Government to get behind and lend its weight to help our food producers.
What is clear is that our modern economy is a global economy and we need our food producers and the next generation of young entrepreneurs to start thinking about the competitive international market.”
BBC Radio Norfolk Interview available on BBCiPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mypdn
(Begins 1:19:40/2:30:00)
