Department for International Trade (DIT) is calling for applications in order to appoint an industry co-chair who has the expertise and interest in driving forward agriculture, food and drink exports.

In October 2021, the government announced the intention to establish a new Food and Drink Export Council (Export Council) to promote British goods overseas. The Export Council will use a collaborative approach. It will harness expertise and resource from government and industry across the UK in a collective endeavour to increase agriculture, food and drink exports.

The Export Council will comprise of strong representation from government, industry, and regionally across different parts of the UK. This will ensure the council delivers for all parts of the UK and all scales of business. The membership will be diverse and dynamic with an onus on innovation, raising ambition, building capability and effective collaboration.

It will comprise of:

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department for International Trade (DIT) representatives
• devolved administrations
• industry bodies
• a selection of dynamic and innovative businesses including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Meetings of the Export Council will be convened by the Minister for Exports and the industry co-chair. The Council shall act at the request of the Minister for Exports and agree to be bound collectively by its terms of reference (TOR) as a condition for joining.

The Council shall meet upon DIT’s invitation on government premises or virtually. DIT shall provide secretariat services. The Council will meet at least on a quarterly basis. The Council will run for an initial 2-year term, with periodic reviews to ensure it delivers in line with its TOR. The location will be flexible.

To find out more, or to apply, click here.