Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association chief welcomes recent Stormont developments

Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) has welcomed the recent Stormont developments adding ‘the best decision making we can have is through a functioning Northern Ireland Executive’.

Executive director, Michael Bell OBE also looked forward ‘to engaging with our MLAs in the weeks and months ahead, to support fully informed decision making and address the challenges we collectively face’.

Michael Bell OBE, executive director, Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) said: “As an industry supporting 113,000 jobs in local communities across Northern Ireland, we have always held the view that the best decision making we can have is through a functioning Northern Ireland Executive.

"We welcome the renewed impetus to restore the Stormont institutions, and are hopeful that after two years we will soon see ministers in place.

“From addressing the competitive disadvantage Northern Ireland food and drink companies face in terms of capital investment, to maximising the opportunity of our unique trading position, there is much work to be done to equip our industry to grow even further, and boost the local economy in the process.

"We look forward to engaging with our MLAs in the weeks and months ahead, to support fully informed decision making and address the challenges we collectively face.”