Manufacture foods to showcase quality: NFU

15-Apr-2014 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2021 at 11:28 GMT

Farmers stepping into food manufacturing to supplement their incomes should use the opportunity to showcase the qualities of the rural sector, such as better food security and freshness, the National Farmers Union (NFU) president has said.

In an exclusive video interview with FoodManufacture.co.uk, NFU president Meurig Raymond said food manufacturing was a great opportunity for farmers to diversify if they had the right skills.

“You can look back over the last 10 or 20 years and there are always those farmers who want to diversify and get closer to their consumers … but it’s more in the minority than the majority,” said Raymond.

‘Special degree of skill’

“You need to be good with people, you’ve got to get close to your consumer and you’ve got to know what the market requirements are and you’ve got to market yourself. So it does take that special degree of skill and farmers need to ask if they have those skills [before doing it],” he said.

To hear how Raymond thinks farmers can benefit from moving into food manufacturing, watch this video.

Meanwhile, Simon Crichton, organic agriculture relationship manager with Triodos Bank, said more organic farmers were moving into food manufacturing in search of higher margins and greater financial security.

Read an exclusive interview with Raymond in an upcoming issue of Food Manufacture by subscribing to the magazine.