Brexit advisor and customs expert, Robert Hardy, will address food and retail delegates at the Food & Business Conference at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on the 2nd October.
A must-event for food professionals, attracting over 2,000 key decision makers from the UK’s leading food processing, retail and food service industries, and covering key issues affecting the industry today.
A much sought-after advisor on all things Brexit and a director of Oakland International, experts in distribution and logistics and Oakland Invicta, specialists at reducing food losses due to contamination, Robert is a certified Customs specialist preparing food businesses ahead of Brexit, a Brexit advisor to The Institute for Government, a funded advisor to InterTradeIreland and a registered international trade expert with the EU Commission. He will offer delegates insight on how businesses can navigate Brexit successfully, discussing the impact of tariffs, border controls and customs processes and look at the opportunities and threats for the food industry.
Said Robert: “There is a great deal of scaremongering going on which appears to be politically motivated rather than based on pragmatism, knowledge or ground-level experience, ranging from huge delays to huge tariffs, or both!
“The UK exports more to non-EU than within the EU, furthermore the non-EU element is growing, consistently, year on year. With a no deal a distinct probability, does this mean tariffs and friction at the border, probably not.”
This Coventry event will offer a one-stop shop for all manufacturing professionals across the full industry spectrum, shining a light on top trends across food manufacturing, retail and the foodservice sectors.
Added Robert: “To many UK businesses it may seem that we are teetering on the verge of Brexit chaos, with smoke and mirror information offering no clear route of how to get through, but there are processes already in place which will lessen its effects and have the potential to create a number of post Brexit benefits.
“By embracing change and Brexit as an opportunity to examine the processes, and by exploring how additional elements can potentially run in tandem, with little or no effect on the movement of goods, including to or from Ireland, it is possible to safeguard customer experience so that at worst there is no change, perceiving instead a supply chain opportunity to improve, to broaden and to further develop. Brexit can work for you!”
Following the Ricoh event Robert will speak next at a dedicated Brexit Seminar in Birmingham on the 17th October, joining industry experts to address an international delegation from food businesses and non-food importers and exporters, Embassies, logistics providers and consultants from the UK, Ireland, Europe and Asia. For details visit: www.mybrexit.uk