SF-October-2020

@specialityfood The UK is the world’s ninth-largest organic market. Exportation of organic products is an essential means of revenue for many organic businesses and, according to statistics from a 2018 Exports Survey by the Soil Association, the global sales are steadily increasing for most UK businesses each year. In fact, sales of organic products boomed during the lockdown earlier this year, and the sector is now predicted to reach the £2.6bnmark by the end of 2020, far exceeding the £2.5bn originally projected by the Soil Association. However, unless organic standards ‘equivalence’ is secured as part of the negotiations, the UK will lose access to EUmarkets automatically at 11pm on 31st December. This would bring significant practical and financial problems for the dynamic, fast-growing and highly-prized British food sector. Manufacturers in Northern Ireland would likely lose access to essential sources of organic ingredients or products produced in Great Britain in favour of goods from EUmember states, which would be imported without additional administration or certification requirements. “The market for organic food is an essential and growing part of the UK’s import and export economy,” says Roger Kerr, chairman of The UK Organic Certifiers Group (UKOCG). “It’s one of a very few sectors which potentially face overnight exclusion from a vital market if a mutual recognition agreement between the UK and EU is not achieved before the December 31st deadline.” WHAT’S THE ANSWER? More than 30 organisations representing the organic food and drink sector have written an official letter to the Chief UK Negotiator, Lord Frost, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, to express their deep concern about the future of trade and certification of organic products between the UK and the EU. The letter warns of the detrimental impacts on the organic market if a mutual agreement between the UK and EU is not achieved by the end of the year, pointing out how organic food exports from the UK face the possibility of being excluded from the EUmarket. “By co-signing this letter as a sector, we are urging the UK Government to recognise what is at jeopardy here as we enter a new regime with the EU,” explains Roger. “Securing mutual agreement 6 “Bouncing back from the summertime blues” A fter all the trading convulsions of 2020, we entered July with a degree of optimism that the summer season would go some way to restoring commercial spirits. Al fresco gatherings in balmy weather with the hint of holidays to unquarantined locations hanging in the air, perhaps? The reality for us was, sadly, a blight at the end of the tunnel. July sales tumbled following the easing of the lockdown, as other retailers and hospitality outlets distracted our regular customers and reduced the amount of passers by having had the temerity to reopen. Furthermore ‘Le Grand Depart’ for summer holidays in Chelsea took place a lot earlier than usual and at the beginning of September we were still waiting for ‘Le Grand Turning Up Again’. Yet, if July was the retailing equivalent of Les Miserables at 18% down on the same month last year, August was the Roquefort Horror Picture Show at 12% down. August is often our quietest month of the year anyway, but this year on two rainy days we recorded our lowest ever sales. The mini heatwave did not help much either. These two months had unprecedented drops in sales in an unprecedented year. JOHN SHEPHERD PARTRIDGES There were logical reasons, of course, for the sales drop. In July this year there were no schools, no Wimbledon big screen event, no champagne bar, no thronging activities on the Square, no tourists and fewer passers by. It was August Maximus with a hangover. There was a haunting feeling that the doldrums were here to stay and the notion of a personal career change for myself to join the ranks of Trappist monks was starting to look appealing again. However, as so often in retailing something unexpected turns up to put sheer panic on hold. This time it was September. Sales have started to stir, regulars are returning, there are unofficial sightings of office workers and we have had a few export orders out of the blue. Since we closed the café under the lockdown in March overall sales are still likely to be down in September, but will this be compensated by our cost cutting manoeuvres in closing the café? In many ways it has given our shop floor a new lease of life as we have completely rearranged the entrance area. I am pleased to say this appears to have been something of a hit with customers. Then there is continuing uncertainty about Christmas with ‘Father Christmas on furlough’ headlines in the press as the government announces the ‘Rule of 6’. Despite all this, it is important to keep things in some sort of proportion. It will get better and there will be some positives to emerge. It’s not easy to see what they will be. Or when they will be. But taking each week as it comes is so often the way in speciality food retailing. between the UK and the EU in relation to organic certificationmust be a priority for the negotiators.” Richard Hampton, managing director of Omsco agrees: “Growth in organic food and drink sales has accelerated globally during the Coronavirus pandemic. The UK is very well placed to take advantage of these trade opportunities given the strength of the UK organic production sector and the UK’s reputation for high quality and product safety. At Omsco, we are seeing this trend first hand, with European customers seeking increased volumes for next year for our quality organic dairy products sourced from our UK dairy farm owners. “Access to the Europeanmarket is vital not just because of the growth opportunities that it affords, but also because our spread of markets and products allows us to deliver the flexibility and availability to our UK customers and consumers. The loss of these markets will damage efficiencies, reduce flexibility and increase costs at a precarious economic time. We are just one of many successful UK organic food businesses in this position and we need an urgent resolution to the situation.” UK organic food exports face the possibility of exclusion from the EU market The Community Farm, a cornerstone of Bristol’s local food and farming scene, has curated a collection of 15 articles titled Lessons From Lockdown, which details how COVID-19 has affected locals involved with food, wildlife, local economies and social outreach and how they’ve tackle it. The articles include everything from business and personnel strategies to focus group results, personal experiences and market analysis, from contributors such as the Soil Association, Feed Bristol, Better Food, Going For Gold Bristol, EcoWild, Poco Tapas Bar and The Community Farm itself. The contributors state that they hope the collection will prove useful to small businesses and organisations in terms of learning how and why some groups fared better than others, and how the knowledge can be used to thrive in this period of socio-economic upheaval and potential future lockdowns. New report by food organisations shows how businesses can thrive in lockdown