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George Eustice MP
Greater Lincolnshire LEP

LEP Puts Food and Farming First

The Farming Minister George Eustice MP will be visiting Holbeach on Thursday (15th January) to launch a new body which will champion the area’s food producers.

The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership has created a Food Board made up of senior figures from food and farming which will be officially launched on Thursday 15th January 2015.

On the day of the ministerial visit the LEP will also unveil its Agri-Food Plan 2014-2020 whose vision is to create the environment to work towards a long-term ambition to double the economic value of the food industry in Greater Lincolnshire by 2030.

Mr Eustice, who is Minister for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment at DEFRA, will preside over the launch of the board and plan at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing in Holbeach, part of the University of Lincoln.

“Greater Lincolnshire is the food heartland of the UK but the agri-food sector is often overlooked when it comes to prioritising support for business,” said Mark Tinsley, a member of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP board who leads on agri-food.

“Without our agri-food sector and all the people in it who grow, harvest, prepare and distribute our food, this region would be in a much worse economic state and the country would have to import far more food than it already does.

“That’s why the Greater Lincolnshire LEP has made agri-food one of its priority sectors, and we’re launching our Agri-Food Plan this week to set out how we can help our food processing and farming businesses to grow even further.”

The Food Board will support the plan’s objectives by informing and advising the LEP on issues and challenges which face the sector such as water management, planning, transport infrastructure, the translation of research to industry or skills requirements.

“We have already made progress with a survey of future water requirements needs and a request for the food sector’s views on the importance of improved flood defences,” said Mark.

Food and Farming Minister George Eustice said: “The food and farming sector is incredibly important to this country – the whole food chain is worth more than £100 billion to the economy, employing one in eight people, and that’s why it’s at the heart of our long-term economic plan.

“We want to support this growth and see the UK food and farming industry become the best in the world – exciting, dynamic and at the forefront of technology and innovation.

“It is excellent to see areas like Lincolnshire taking a lead, recognising the huge contribution the sector makes to the local economy and developing ambitious plans for future growth.”

Members of the media are invited to attend the event in Holbeach at 2.30pm on Thursday 15th January 2015.

Notes to Editors:
• The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership is a private and public sector partnership led by the private sector which aims to improve conditions for infrastructure and doing business in the Greater Lincolnshire area.
• One of the first LEPs to be established in the UK, the Greater Lincolnshire LEP covers a large geographical area with a population of over one million and a diverse range of industries, from ports and logistics to farming, tourism and engineering.
• It includes North and North East Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire and is controlled by a LEP board made up of leading figures in the public and private sector.
• Visit www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk for more information.
• George Eustice MP was Head of Press under Michael Howard between 2003 and the 2005 General Election and David Cameron’s Press Secretary from June 2005 until the end of 2007.
• He was elected as MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle in May 2010.
• In April 2013 he was appointed onto the Downing Street Policy Board, with responsibility for Energy and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In October 2013 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA.

For media information about the LEP please contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
07780 735071
@jezashberry
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
[LEP85georgeeustice]


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