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A new initiative to connect the food trade and farmers across the Yorkshire and Humber regions in the UK has been launched in response to the current turmoil affecting the world's food industry.
Farexchange has been created to understand the current and future needs of food manufacturers and consumers. Aimed at directors or executives of food and farming businesses, the scheme aims to develop sustainable value chains, linking manufacturers back to the region's farmers and growers to secure future supply.
An initial three-year contract to deliver the 'not for profit' scheme has been won by the Farexchange Partnership, operationally led by the English Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP) Ltd. Created specifically for collaboration projects, EFFP has the necessary skills to act as an interface between farmers, processors and food companies.
This exciting venture was launched at a unique one-day event held in York and will be followed by a programme of conferences, seminars and individual business support meetings to offer practical advice and business experience on working with Yorkshire agriculture.
The northern link Due to its diverse and productive agricultural sector, Yorkshire is probably one of the largest food producing regions within the UK. To ensure future growth, projects like Farexchange are vital to fill gaps in the infrastructure so that new businesses, joint ventures and partnerships may be formed.
The project is the culmination of two years' work by Yorkshire Forward, whose commitment to delivering enhanced economic activity to benefit the region led to the establishment of this worthwhile scheme.
It's believed to be the first of its kind in the UK and will be delivered in conjunction with the National Farmers Union, Country Land Association, Yorkshire & Humber Regional Food Group, EBLEX, BPEX, Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Bishop Burton College and Askham Bryan College.
Yorkshire Forward's Food and Drink Sector Manager John Sorsby said: "The Farexchange scheme is an integral element of Yorkshire Forward's multimillion pound investment in supporting the Food and Drink industry in the region, and has a clear focus on innovation and supply chain development. It also delivers innovation by connecting the high quality produce the region has to offer with supply chain opportunities, linked to authenticity and trust, which have high importance as we continue to ride the economic turbulence."