The Government has launched Shop Local Week, seven days of concentrated activity encouraging shoppers to return to their local high street and shop safely.

Commencing 10 August and running until 17 August, Shop Local Week encourages people to pop out to their favourite greengrocer, bakery or florist, or any other local shop, by demonstrating how businesses are safely welcoming customers back.

Businesses and shops on high streets up and down the country have adapted since the outbreak of coronavirus, and are able to welcome customers back to business-almost-as-usual.  Shop Local Week reassures shoppers safety is paramount, and that their custom is valued by local high street shops and businesses. It gives customers an opportunity to show appreciation and support for their ‘locals’.

Shop Local is a dedicated week within government’s Enjoy Summer Safely campaign, which aims to inspire the public to get back to the things they enjoy, whilst following coronavirus safety guidelines.

For more information, please  click here

The UK Government announced the following today:

 

• A free-to-use Trader Support Service backed by funding of up to £200 million: to complete digital processes on behalf of businesses importing goods into Northern Ireland. It launches in September and businesses can register today for updates before it becomes operational.

• £155 million IT systems funding: To fund the development of new technology to ensure the new processes can be fully digital and streamlined.

• Northern Ireland Protocol guidance: Further clarity for businesses moving goods into and from Northern Ireland following the Government’s command paper in May

• £300 million for the PEACE Plus programme: supporting peace, prosperity and reconciliation projects on the island of Ireland.

 

For more information on today’s announcement, click here: bit.ly/TransitionNorthernIreland

Do you spot the pledge from Prime Minister Boris Johnston to start tackling the pressing problem of obesity in England that I mentioned in last week’s column? His experience with coronavirus has strengthened his resolve to tackle this serious threat to public health.

The Prime Minister’s pledge was followed swiftly by the publication of the first part of a National Food Strategy, led byentrepreneur Henry Dimbleby, who has taken advice from our colleague in the Food Foundation, Anna Taylor. Anna visited Balmoral Show in 2019 to promote the Food Foundation initiative Peas Please which FoodNI and UFU are signed up to.

Action on tackling obesity and the National Food Strategy initiative have been a long time in the making. But what will they mean to you and our highly successful agri-food industry?

At this stage in proceedings, it’s hard to say. In truth, we’veheard some of this before the current crisis caused by Covid-19. Four years ago, the then Government published the first chapter of a plan to half childhood obesity by 2030. But it has been left to gather dust, a fate it shares with other healthreports in the past.

Perhaps one good thing coming out of the pandemic will be action on obesity. The statistics are certainly worrying and require urgent and far reaching action. We’ve seen the impact of Covid-19, for example, on patients with existing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, stroke and other ailments. As medical science advances obesity is taking our health backwards, even before Covid 19 one in seven deaths was attributed to obesitywhich is almost on a par with smoking and way ahead of car accidents.

Focusing on health is a key theme of Dimbleby’s new National Food Strategy, the first independent review of UK food policy in almost 75 years. Part One outlines the problems in our food system and the executive summary can be read here https://www.nationalfoodstrategy.org/partone/ . The strategy is due to be followed with part two in 2021. As well as health, the other themes are: ensuring a sustainable and an equitable food system for future generations and tackling the issues of food safety and sovereignty post Brexit.

Part two is also expected to focus further on food policy and climate change. Dimbleby points out that “the deals we make now will shape the food system of the future, affecting everything from the livelihoods of our farmers to animal welfare and climate change.” Against the background of the current Brexit negotiations, it also warns that the issue of how to strike trade deals without lowering food standards needs to be addressed now before it is too late.”

The agri-food industry here is well aware of the threat to standards. Food NI has supported calls to protect health and other standards from threats such as chlorinated chicken and GM reared beef from the US in particular. And we will continue to do so. Preserving and protecting standards are essential if we are to ensure healthy food for our people in the post-Brexit era. Trade deals struck by the Government must not be allowed to undermine farmers, processors and the wider public.

Our farmers and processors all operate to the highest health standards and are committed to sustainability. Furthermore, we all know by now of the inspirational and heroic endeavours of the industry to feed the nation during the current coronavirus pandemic. The industry’s professionalism and dedication ensured there were no serious food shortages….and there continues to be plenty of wholesome and nutritious food available here especially from local sources.

What the National Food Strategy does offer is the prospect of a more holistic approach to helping people to eat well, which makes sense. Dimbleby’s recommendations, of course, will require proper support and funding to ensure their success in the short and long term. But perhaps they never came at a better time.

Communities Minister Minister Carál Ní Chuilín and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots have announced a substantial investment of £11m to support town and city centres in their economic recovery from the impacts of Covid-19.

Against a backdrop of COVID 19 restrictions a great deal of business moved online and to help their advertisers/exhibitors take advantage of this trend and the huge interest generated for this year’s postponed Irish Game Fair organisers have put in place an exciting new initiative for 2020 and running up to next year’s LIVE Fair– THE VIRTUAL GAME FAIR.

Game Fair have already test marketed facets of this and of course with c100,000 readers of their hard copy and online magazine plus very active social media platforms ,with up to 100,000 contacts on their promoted posts, they are in an excellent position to make this a huge marketing platform for their advertisers/exhibitors not only on the original dates of the fair but throughout the incoming year. 

The organisers of the Irish Game Fair an inviting exhibitors new and old to take part in this year’s virtual event by offer a virtually free stand at the virtual fair.

If exhibitors book for the 2021 Game Fair at the normal 20% discount and pay a £100 deposit to confirm the stand booking for 2021 they can have a FREE STAND at the VIRTUAL GAME FAIR.  So they can trade with Irish Game Fair throughout 2020 and 2021 until the REAL fair FREE of CHARGE. Exhibitors stand at the virtual fair will also include a listing of their company in the VIRTUAL GAME FAIR FEATURE in the hard copy and FREE to READ online Autumn and Winter (Christmas) issues of the Irish Country Sports and Country Life magazine. 

EXHIBITING AT THE VIRTUAL GAME FAIR

 The Virtual Game Fair is organised in pavilions and rows just as one would expect to see at a normal fair plus both virtual and live competitions & videos.   A photograph of each exhibitor will be placed in the appropriate pavilion with a ‘click through’ to exhibitors web site.

·        Fine Food & Drinks Pavilion

·        Country Crafts & Living Pavilion

·        Gunmakers Row

·        Clothing Row

·        Cars & 4 X4 Row

·        Fishermans Row

·        Gundog & Working Dog Row

·        Game Keepers Row

·        Country Sports and Conservation Pavilion

·        Holiday & Tourism Pavilion

If you wish to exhibit at the Virtual Game Fair simply send a good quality Hi Res landscape photograph illustrating your business and products.  A short 4 key word description of your product range and full contact details (Name of company,  Telephone No; Email address; Website or Facebook page address) and  2021 Booking Form to irishgamefair@btinternet.com. Final deadline for receipt of materials to be included in the Autumn magazine  is COB 7 August.  Although exhibitors can join the fair at any time during the year.

 The VIRTUAL GAME FAIR is currently being built and populated and will open to visitors on the 29th & 30th August 2020 and remain open with updates throughout the year until the REAL Game Fair planned for the 26/27 June 2021.