Rural Policy Group, Pluckley, Kent, United Kingdom: Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, Founder and Chair

Essay of up to 650 words

Total 150 words used.

• RPG – the first and only group to bring together farming, food industry, parliamentarians, policy influencers and academics in a single collaborative forum
• RED Talks that publicly raise the issues to resolve.
• Annual RPG Conference and Report, and Report & Accounts for key UK food regions, demonstrating the value of agriculture, food and farming to UK plc.
• Sustainable financial and business practices introduced to organisations throughout the UK food chain.
• The first ever All-Party Parliamentary Group to tackle Fair Value in the UK Food Supply Chain.
• Annual Report for every major parliamentarian, business, agriculture and academic leader.
• High-level speakers covering the issues facing UK agriculture, food and farming, and their resolution; including from all political parties.
• A forum for UK food and farming that is uniquely action-focused.
• Putting sustainable finance at the heart of RPG’s influence.
• Driving a fair and equitable distribution of margin throughout the UK food supply chain. 

Total 642 words used.

The germ of Rural Policy Group came out of despair at the way the UK food and farming sector had been treated for many years.

The Covid 19 lockdowns emphasised a need for virtual collaboration and Rural Policy Group was tested. Nothing like it had existed before.

It’s founder, Mark Lumsdon-Taylor (with many years’ experience supporting and operating financially sustainable businesses in the rural sector) set out 5 core objectives:

1. A more ambitious food security target of 70% self-sufficiency by 2030.
2. Fair dealing and fair margin share for all businesses through food value chain collaboration.
3. Greater reward for British agriculture, food and farming in all (government) policies.
4. Technology and innovation as a driver of productivity and profitability.
5. Mainstreaming sustainable accounting and business-appropriate levels of ESG reporting and disclosure.

By January 2021, RPG was ready to properly raise its profile. It’s mission: farms and other food businesses cannot go green when they are in the red. RPG supports policymakers in developing a policy, regulatory and tax framework to help businesses to be confident to invest; guiding businesses in translating government policy into action and reward whilst ensuring industry leaders can embrace the benefits & opportunities of sustainability and a green UK plc.

Several mechanisms were developed:

1. RED Talks: a series of interactive Rural Economic Development web sessions facilitating dialogue between industry figures, grass-roots business people, parliamentarians, policy influencers and academics – the essential groups that drive the UK agriculture, food and farming sector.
   RED Talks continue to take place, attended and hosted by leaders from all the sectors mentioned including parliamentarians from both houses and both sides of the house, leading business-people in food growing, supply and retailing and leading UK academics. Topics range from mental health to EVs.
    
2. Agri-Food Price Cluster: a ‘virtual cluster’ to foster collaboration and best practice in the food value chain. The cluster investigates how we improve profitability for businesses while keeping food affordable.
3. The RPG Council: to ensure RPG gained traction quickly, the Council was formed and currently comprises many leaders in their fields, supported by:
4. Speakers: including Natalie Bennett (Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle), Sarah Calcutt (CEO, City Harvest), Sarah Dodds (Head of Agriculture & Partner at MHA), Tim Doubleday (CFO Burger King UK), Tim Farron MP (Liberal Democrat Environment, Farming  & Rural Affairs Spokesperson), George Freeman MP (Minister for Science Research & innovation), Grace O’Dwyer (Regional Agriculture Director HSBC), Rachel Nutt (Renewable & Sustainable Energy Sector Head & Partner at MHA), Simon Pearson (Professor of Agri-Food Technology Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology), Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat Peer), Clarke Williams MBE FRAgA (Director Norfolk Food Enterprise Park), Stephen Winningham (Co-Founder & Vice Chairman City Harvest London), Daniel Zeichner MP (Shadow Environment Minister & Labour MP for Cambridge) and many more.
5. A team of contributing organisations: including Burger King, City Harvest, The Conervative Party, FEP, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Green Party, HSBC, Kent Farmers’ Markets, Labour, Liberal Democrats, MHA, IOD, National Fruit Show, UK Food Valley and University of Lincoln.
6. The Annual RPG Conference and Report: this brings core issues into focus including sustainability, agriculture contribution to government goals, the agricultural balance sheet, challenges & recommendations. RPG has pioneered the valuing of Britain’s key food and agricultural counties as PLCs to demonstrate their essential contribution to UK sustainability and GDP.

RPG has been one of the outstanding success stories of the last three years. Its influence has been widespread, bringing together the parties necessary to build Britain’s future food and farming sustainability. The RPG Report is received by every UK MP across both houses as well as the UK’s business leaders and leading academics.

So successful has RPG been in just a few years that it is now forming an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Value in the Food Supply Chain – the first ever of its kind and, finally, a voice for UK agriculture, food and farming.