The appointment of former Waitrose managing director Mark Price as UK trade and investment minister has been welcomed as good news for farmers and food suppliers.
Price, who managed Waitrose for eight years, was announced last week as a replacement for Lord Maude at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Price, who also takes on ministerial responsibility at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, takes up his new post from April. He has additionally been made a peer by The Queen and will be known as Lord Price.
His appointment has been welcomed by The Fairtrade Foundation, who said he brings 'a wealth of experience and credibility to the role from his time in the retail sector.'
Fairtrade Foundation chief executive Michael Gidney added: 'His championing ofFairtrade products and practicesand fair treatment of suppliersin his time at Waitrose showed great foresight andsenta strong signalto industryaboutthe value of taking along-term sustainable business approach.
'His keen interest in farming, demonstrated on his visit to coffee smallholders in Rwanda, will stand him in good stead as he helps shape the future of the UK’s global trading relationships.'
No comments yet