The Food and Drink Federation today (8 March) claimed that the UK is “lagging behind” the rest of the EU in terms of automation and robotics in the supply chain.

Speaking at the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum in London, FDF director general Melanie Leech called for the UK government to target its “planned incentive programmes on our sector to drive take-up” and for an improved focus around the “processing elements of the food chain”.

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Looking for the UK government to put the sector at the heart of the economic recovery, Leech said that, in talks with the coalition, the FDF believed the “key planks” that would drive economic improvement in the sector would be improving R&D and innovation.

The FDF is seeking a strategic R&D framework that “addresses market failures, promotes the take-up of existing research, through targeted funding to build partnerships between researchers, learning institutions and companies”.

Leech said that the FDF is looking to translate research and “push it down the pipeline” to develop “promising ideas into commercial application”.

“There’s a lot of ideas, but it doesn’t always join up as effectively as it should, and critically, doesn’t get down that pipeline into commercial application and the UK is falling behind on that front,” she said.

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The FDF is also seeking continued support and strategy from UK Trade & Investment to continue to showcase UK products abroad. Leech said the food and drink export sector has recorded seven years of growth and “broke the GBP10bn (US$16.5bn) [sales] barrier for the first time” in 2010.

“We want to make sure we’re a priority for the UKTI,” she said.

She said the body is seeking support for SMEs through loooking for early action to bring in the grocery industry adjudicator.

The UK government announced plans last year for the Groceries Code Adjudicator, a body that will monitor and enforce the code that oversees relations between retailers and suppliers.

Additionally, with most legislation coming from the EU, said Leech, the FDF is calling for the government to get involved early in Brussels negotiations to “ensure we are able to change policy”.