LEP Chair to Speak at UK Seafood Summit

Our Chair Ursula Lidbetter MBE will be the keynote speaker at this year’s UK Seafood Summit in Broughton, North East Lincolnshire.

As well as chairing the LEP, Ursula is Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Co-op and represents 38 LEPs from across England on the UK Food and Drink Council.

This year’s UK Seafood Summit (formerly the Humber Seafood Summit) is set to be one of the most important in its history as the UK prepares to withdraw from the European Union in March next year.

The annual summit is expected to bring together over 300 key opinion formers including stakeholders, experts, industry employees, Government officials, suppliers and researchers from across the UK to discuss the common challenges faced by the industry.

This year’s theme is ‘Seafood is the way forward’ and Ursula will address delegates on the work the LEP Food Board is undertaking across Greater Lincolnshire and on what the UK Food and Drink Council is doing to grow the food chain. 

The UK seafood industry accounts for £10 billion of the national economy.

As Brexit looms, withdrawal from the EU is set to shake up the seafood and fishing industry. Currently, the UK is a member of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy and although the PM Theresa May has indicated she wants Britain to remain a signatory of that policy post-Brexit, the final outcome of that arrangement remains unclear.

The summit is set to address other industry challenges including trade, sustainability and the effect of microplastics on the marine environment.

There will also be other opportunities for delegates to share best practice with other leaders within the industry.

The two-day summit will take place on 17^th and 18^th September at Forest Pines Hotel & Golf Resort, Broughton, North Lincolnshire, DN20 0AQ.