Backing British growth: Why it pays for UK producers to automate

摘要

Food and drink manufacturers are this week backing calls to boost UK food production following reports that the nation's self sufficiency is on the slide and within a generation over half of the UK's food will be imported. The National Farming Union (NFU)* has announced that Britain's production of home grown food is expected to fall to just 53% by 2040 - a drop of almost 40% since the 1980's. This research is leading to growing demand for government investment to increase productivity and the efficiency of UK food producers. The situation is also exacerbated by the supermarket price wars and global brands competing for shelf space, with many UK food suppliers caught in the middle and seeing their profit margins squeezed. In 2014, around 150 food producers entered insolvency. For many, these price squeezes may have been the tipping point. What's more, this figure, doesn't take into account the number of UK sole traders or simple partnerships that may have folded. Following the Christmas trading announcements in January, Sainsbury's revealed that it would be cutting prices on 1,000 popular products. Asda unveiled similar plans, saying it will invest £300m into price cuts in quarter 1 of 2015 and the general consensus is most food retailers will follow suit.