With the Public sector spending circa £2.4billion on the procurement of food, it is a continued priority of the NFU to engage with government and procurement bodies on the importance of Backing British Farming.
For British food producers, the scope of public sector food provision is vast, comprising thousands of catering outlets across the country, many of whom make procurement decision at a local level. The sector includes hospitals, care homes, The Prison Service, The Ministry of Defence and Education.
As the inquiry describes, the UK's exit from the EU means the UK can modify its procurement rules, which could lead to changes in the way that social and environmental objectives, like supporting local small business, are prioritised. The inquiry page can be found here.
The NFU will be submitting a full and detailed response on behalf it the membership. However, we would welcome feedback on the questions posed by the EFRA Committee as we know that many of our members directly supply the public sector at both a local, regional and national level.
The NFU would be grateful for your feedback on the questions below and associated examples highlighting any successes or barriers that you have faced when looking to supply into the public sector market.
These examples will help provide evidence for the NFU’s response to the following questions:
- How effective have current food procurement rules been at achieving environmental outcomes, encouraging healthy eating and supporting local suppliers, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?
- What impact have Defra’s 2014 Plan for Public Procurement and the Government Buying Standard (GBS) had, and how could they be improved?
- How much flexibility will the UK have to change food procurement rules outside the EU?
- What should the Government’s priorities for future food procurement be?
- How should the Government support these priorities in the negotiation of new trade deals?
- To what extent should the public sector be encouraged to “buy British”?
We request that all feedback is to be submitted by Friday 31st July 2020 and for it to be sent to Zm9vZGNoYWluZm9jdXNAbmZ1Lm9yZy51aw==