Commenting on the review, HTA director of business development Tim Briercliffe said: "These are difficult economic times and serious actions need to be taken to address this.
"Clearly the detail will need to be examined as it emerges to understand the full impacts of the cuts in each department, particularly in Defra which has suffered heavy budget losses."
Tim Briercliffe continued: "There is likely to be an impact on retail spending as many consumers have less to spend but at least now the public know where they stand.
"However, in general we support the Coalition’s intention to eliminate duplication of effort within Government, and to remove, reduce or provide for better regulation that enables the private sector to lead the economic recovery."
He said the HTA was ‘delighted’ with the intention to abolish the Agriculture Wages Board and requested its removal as soon as possible.
Briercliffe added: "We are equally pleased that the science budget has been left intact, though we would urge the Coalition to re-distribute more funds towards the applied end of research to enable knowledge transfer into the commercial world.
"And finally, we look forward to the delivery of further efficiency savings through the respective Task Forces on Farming and Fruit and Vegetables which aim to reduce red tape and bolster the UK’s competitive edge in horticulture and related industries."
Published: 28/10/2010
Source: http://hortweek.com
