BBPA: 'Government must act to save jobs’

Grain to Glass is a joint scheme set up to highlight the importance of the beer-supply chain to Britain’s rural economy.

It has called on the Government to support pubs as a vital part of the tourism infrastructure and is seeking a review of the impact of red tape. It wants planners and local authorities to recognise the importance of the pub as the hub of rural communities. The BBPA and NFU also want a review of the structure and impact of beer duty on the rural economy.

According to a report unveiled to launch the scheme this week, around 270,000 rural jobs in Britain depend on brewing and pubs, and more than £3.5bn is paid in rural wages.

BBPA chairman Ralph Findlay said: “As a brewer, and as a company running British pubs, I know how vital the beer-supply chain is to the UK economy. Beer is a British product made from natural ingredients, and pubs are at the heart of local life. It’s a great British industry of which we are proud.

“The need for economic growth is now top of the political agenda, and rightly so. The right policy and regulatory framework can help us create much-needed jobs in rural areas. The tax on beer is a particular issue that must be addressed by the Government, but a new approach on a wide range of issues is needed.”

NFU president Peter Kendall said: “Beer and pubs are the beating heart of the British countryside, and farmers value the role that they play as community hubs, and in rural tourism, as much as anyone.

“It’s in all our interests — not just farmers, brewers and publicans — but anyone who cares about this country’s economy, or loves the British countryside, or enjoys a glass of beer — that we sustain the grain to glass supply chain, and everything that depends upon it, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”

The group plans to lobby the Government and MPs over the issue and has plans for future initiatives to promote the rural economy.

Grain to Glass: the proposals​

Planned policies being put forward by those involved in the Grain to Glass initiative include:

1. Brewing: a review of the structure and impact of beer duty on employment and growth in the rural economy.

2. Farming: more investment in crop research and development; less and better regulation, both on and off the farm, and in transport.

3. Pubs: support for pubs as a vital part of tourism infrastructure and a review of the impact of red tape.

4. Planners and local authorities need to recognise the importance of the pub as the hub of rural communities.