Former pig farmer Sam Godfrey said he hopes to bring a ‘pragmatic approach’ to the process, after he was appointed as the sole farming representative on a new food industry body advising the government on its food strategy.
The Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB), bringing together senior leaders from across the food system, will meet for the first time today to begin advising ‘on a clear vision and framework for change’, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
The pig industry is also represented by Cranswick chair Tim Smith and Ash Amirahmadi, chief executive officer of Sofina Foods Europe.
Defra said the cross-government food strategy will aim to restore pride in British food by ‘ensuring a food system that backs British food, grows the economy, feeds the nation, nourishes individuals, and protects the planet, now and in the future’.
Chaired by food security minister Daniel Zeichner, the Board will initially meet monthly.
Mr Godfrey has farmed in partnership with his father and brother in their family farming businesses in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire for 17 years. He was a prominent figure in the pig industry until the family business sold the 8,000-sow Elsham Linc pig business to Cranswick in 2023. The family continues to run a large arable operation.
He served on the NPA’s board from 2015 to 2024 and chaired its Producer Group, and received the Chris Brant Award in 2023 in recognition of his dogged lobbying work on environment regulation, in particular, including the Farming Rules for Water.
He served on the board of NFU Sugar from 2017 to 2024 and currently sits on the Scunthorpe and Gainsborough Water Management Board.
He said: “I am looking forward to working with others on the Board. I will bring experience of commercial agriculture to the Board, which is representative of mainstream agricultural production.
“I hope to ensure a pragmatic approach is taken that accommodates the needs of agriculture within the broader aims of the strategy.”
Mr Amirahmadi, who was appointed to his Sofina role last year, having worked for dairy coop Arla for 20 years, said: “It is an honour to be invited to advise the government on the new food strategy. With 35 years of experience in developing supply chains across agri-food businesses, I am eager to offer practical support toward the shared goal of building a thriving UK food system.”
Mr Smith, a former Food Standards Agency chief executive who has held leadership roles at Tesco and was the CEO of Arla Foods, said: “As we contemplate how best to feed the nation and facing into unparalleled challenges it’s going to be our opportunity to find ways to devise a system, fair for all, which produces food which is healthy, sustainable and affordable.”
Mr Zeichner said: “Our food and farming sectors are the corner stone of our national identity and economy. We celebrate the great work that farmers, growers, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers do across the country that puts delicious food on our tables.
“However, unhealthy diets are driving skyrocketing obesity rates, food security is under pressure from climate change and the way our supply chain works means some farmers are struggling to make a profit.
“Our cross-government food strategy will make sure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals, now and in the future.
The full membership of the Board:
- Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Defra (Chair)
- Professor Chris Whitty (DHSC)
- Emily Miles (Defra)
- Andrew Selley (Bidcorp UK)
- Anna Taylor (Food Foundation)
- Ash Amirahmadi (Sofina Foods)
- Dalton Philips (Greencore)
- Flor Healy (Kerry Foods)
- Jillian Moffatt (McCain Foods)
- Ravi Gurumurthy (NESTA)
- Sam Godfrey (Farmer)
- Simon Roberts (Sainsbury’s)
- Professor Susan Jebb (Oxford University)
- Tim Smith (Cranswick)
Secretariat
- Tessa Jones (Defra)
- Sarah Bradbury (IGD)
Defra has worked closely with the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) in establishing the Board. The IGD will act as a co-secretariat for its meetings.
Remit
The food strategy will work to improve the country’s food system to:
- provide more easily accessible and affordable healthy food to tackle diet-related ill health; helping to give children the best start in life and help adults live longer healthier lives;
- maintain our food security by building resilience in the face of climate shocks and geopolitical changes, strengthening the supply chain which operates so effectively to keep us fed;
- reduce the impact of farming and food production on nature, biodiversity and climate, while supporting the sector through that transition;
- ensure growth is at the heart of government strategy to drive the investment, productivity and innovation that builds resilience, so that our largest manufacturing sector can realise its potential for economic growth.