Fresh Produce Supply Chains Gain a Voice as Government Names Logistics Minister

Britain’s fresh produce and food supply chains could gain a stronger voice at the heart of government following the formal addition of logistics to a Department for Transport ministerial portfolio.

Keir Mather MP has become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation, Maritime and Logistics, giving the sector an explicitly named minister after years of lobbying by freight and transport organisations.

Although logistics already fell partly within Mather’s responsibilities, its inclusion in his title is being viewed as an important recognition of an industry that underpins retail, food security and international trade.

His brief covers freight and borders, maritime transport, aviation, international transport, security and resilience – areas with direct consequences for businesses moving time-sensitive fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers into and around the UK.

Mather said the change demonstrated his intention to put logistics “at the heart of government”. The move follows sustained campaigning by the Alliance of Logistics Trade Associations, whose members include Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, British International Freight Association and Cold Chain Federation.

Logistics UK chief executive Ben Fletcher welcomed the expanded role, arguing that “nothing moves in the economy without the input of logistics businesses”.

The organisation estimates that logistics generates £175 billion in gross value added annually, employs eight per cent of the UK workforce and enables more than £1 trillion of international trade each year.

Research commissioned from Oxford Economics has suggested that improving the sector’s productivity could add a further £8 billion annually to the UK economy.

For fresh produce businesses, however, the significance extends well beyond the headline economic figures.

Official food-security data shows that domestic production accounted for only 16 per cent of the UK’s fresh fruit supply in 2023, alongside 53 per cent of its fresh vegetables. This leaves British consumers and businesses heavily reliant on efficient international transport, ports, border processes and refrigerated distribution.

The UK Food Security Report also found that 29 per cent of fruit and vegetable imports by volume entered through the Short Straits in 2023. The speed and concentration of these flows make the sector particularly vulnerable to congestion, border disruption and additional administrative burdens.

Unlike many manufactured products, fresh produce cannot simply wait indefinitely at a port or distribution centre. Delays can shorten shelf life, increase wastage, raise refrigeration and haulage costs and ultimately feed through into higher prices or reduced availability.

This makes Mather’s responsibility for both freight and borders especially relevant as the industry navigates evolving UK-EU trading arrangements, plant-health controls and demands for more resilient international supply chains.

The Road Haulage Association said the new title created an opportunity to give logistics a clearer voice within government. Its managing director, Richard Smith, identified infrastructure investment, skills, decarbonisation, driver facilities, international trade, regulation and operator cost pressures among the priorities requiring action.

The RHA is also continuing to call for a National Freight Plan which recognises logistics as critical national infrastructure and gives businesses the long-term confidence to invest.

For temperature-controlled food operators, that investment challenge is substantial. Businesses must maintain reliable cold chains while responding to volatile energy costs, vehicle decarbonisation targets, shortages of suitable charging and refuelling infrastructure, and the continuing need for skilled drivers and technicians.

The new title does not, however, create a completely standalone logistics ministry. Mather retains a broad portfolio encompassing aviation and maritime policy, rather than the cross-government role originally sought by trade associations.

The test will therefore be whether the change delivers meaningful coordination across the Department for Transport, Defra, HMRC, the Department for Business and Trade and other bodies responsible for borders, food imports, infrastructure and regulation.

For the fresh produce sector, a named logistics minister is a welcome step. Turning that recognition into faster borders, stronger infrastructure and lower supply-chain friction will be what ultimately determines whether it keeps Britain’s food moving – and helps to rejuvenate the wider economy.