Investment will be key to making Northern Ireland food and drink production more sustainable, guests were told at the 28th Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) annual dinner.
Ursula Lavery MBE, NIFDA Chair and Technical and R&D Director at Pilgrim’s Europe, said the continued sustainable growth of the food and drink industry locally is also crucial to protecting the 113,000 good jobs supported by the sector and its role in feeding 10 million people worldwide.
Held in partnership with KPMG Ireland, the NIFDA annual dinner took place at the Hilton Hotel, Belfast on Thursday 3rd October, where Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland was keynote speaker. With over 250 industry representatives and government stakeholders in attendance, the event is a key fixture in the calendar of Northern Ireland food and drink and the wider business community.
Speaking after the dinner, NIFDA Chair Professor Ursula Lavery MBE said:
“As an industry we are asking fundamental questions about how we continue to feed a growing global population while making a positive impact on the environment, delivering for our customers, and providing good jobs for our local communities. Because food and drink makes such an important contribution to our economy locally, this is a critical question for our entire society.
“Economic growth is a catalyst for change, and done properly it will contribute to greater environmental sustainability – government sets policy, business delivers. Investment is key to being able to build a more sustainable society, and to fund the improved public services we need. Growth is the enabler of investment. A strong Northern Ireland food and drink industry means a stronger Northern Ireland economy, and it allows us to make our industry more sustainable by unlocking investment and innovation.
“Sustainability is something we are embracing. We see the opportunity for Northern Ireland to be the most sustainable region for food production globally. With investment, supported by our continued growth, we can make that vision a reality.
“We also need to invest in our talent. Across the supply chain the industry supports some 113,000 jobs and our companies are filled with some of the brightest, hardest working people. We want to continue to encourage more young people to consider a career in food and drink and this will require the government addressing the apprenticeship levy scheme. We estimate that NIFDA members are paying in excess of £10m per year through the levy, but in Northern Ireland, unlike in England, that money isn’t earmarked for apprenticeships. Our simple ask is that a significant proportion of the levy is brought back to the table to be used to support apprenticeships, which is how the scheme was supposed to work in the first place.”
Russell Smyth, Head of Sustainable Futures, KPMG Ireland said:
“Food and drink is a real economic success story for Northern Ireland, supporting jobs in every corner of the region and playing a key role in our economic growth. However like all industries the sector faces the challenge of responding to the sustainability agenda, as observed in our 2023 sector-wide survey commissioned by NIFDA.
“We are delighted to be supporting the NIFDA annual dinner for the second consecutive year. At KPMG we are dedicated to helping firms across Northern Ireland food and drink and beyond address decarbonisation and sustainability issues, and events like this are a great opportunity to connect with key industry leaders on the way forward.”
Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director, Lidl Northern Ireland said:
“The NIFDA annual dinner is an important event in the industry calendar and I welcomed the opportunity to speak with our local Northern Ireland food and drink manufacturers on the night. This year marked Lidl’s 25th year operating in Northern Ireland and since we opened our first store in Cookstown in 1999, our continuing aim has been to offer our consumers the highest quality produce at market leading value while making a positive impact in the communities we serve. Working with local suppliers has been key to that success and will continue to be a cornerstone of our growth going forward.”
