The agriculture and food and drink industries are worth £1.4 billion annually to Cornwall's economy and account for almost a third of the county's jobs with 63,700 people working in the sector, according to researchers at Exeter University.
Cornwall produces 600 million litres of milk annually, provides 25 per cent of the UK's potato supply and sells £50 million of beef to buyers outside the county. In terms of employment the combined agriculture and food and drink sectors are twice as important in Cornwall as they are nationally.
Commissioned by the Cornwall Development Company, the research into the agri-food sector was carried out by Exeter University's Centre for Rural Policy Research and Cornwall Food and Drink.
Although the report highlights the success of the industry and the potential for this to continue, with dairy cow and sheep numbers rising again and the chance for producers to exploit emerging markets, it also points out that the current economic turmoil will not be easy to overcome.
"It is clear from the study that Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has an incredibly strong, vibrant and important agri-food industry, but no-one should be complacent at the current time. It is therefore great to be able to identify numerous examples of innovative ideas and ways Cornwall can continue to develop its agriculture and food and drink businesses," said David Rodda, Rural Delivery Manager for Cornwall Development Company.
Ruth Huxley, director of Cornwall Food and Drink said: "By and large the recession has revealed any basic business weaknesses, meaning that anyone papering over the cracks is, frankly, unlikely to survive this tough climate. But there are numerous ways of dealing with the current squeeze and we have discovered some diverse strategies. The important thing is for businesses to have one – these are not times for a laissez faire approach."
To accompany the study of Cornwall’s agri-food sector, Cornwall Food and Drink carried out a review of the UK food market, which has been published as a separate report. This contains a broad analysis of consumer and industry trends nationally and uncovers shopping and dining trends that offer opportunities for businesses to capitalise on.
To see the full reports, visit the Cornwall Food and Drink website.
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