foot and mouth disease interview (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

Ask the Experts
the term ‘rural economies’ to describe how they are more modern, diverse and dynamic than this, and
often characterised by a higher proportion of small and micro-businesses, self employment and home
working.
Although there may be no such thing as a single rural economy, many of the sectors in rural economies are
changing. The Coalition, in its ‘Programme for Government’, aims to boost enterprise, support green
growth and build a new, more responsible economic model, one not dependent upon a narrow range of
sectors. This presents some real opportunities and challenges for rural economies.
The food and drink industry has traditionally been a key employer in rural areas, contributing £80.5 billion
to the UK economy and employing more than 3.6 million people. Although the majority of growth
opportunities are expected to come from innovative products (e.g. health foods), signature specialities
including branding foods is becoming increasingly important. For example, Leicestershire is home to Stilton
and Red Leicester cheese and the Melton Mowbray pork pie; food and drink here accounts of 16% of
manufacturing jobs.
The UK’s ageing population is expected to create an increase in demand for health and social care services
– this demand is forecast to grow at a faster rate in rural areas compared to urban areas. The population
aged 65 years and over is expected to increase by 62% between 2009 and 2029 in rural areas (compared to
46% in urban areas). According to an organisation called NESTA, healthcare services for the elderly will
grow annual by 4% between 2008 and 2013, generating an additional 111,000 jobs.
The Coalition Government has proposed a series of measures to realise a low carbon economy – including
establishing a green investment bank, promoting anaerobic digestion, establishing a smart grid and
encouraging marine energy. Rural areas, with their high rates of entrepreneurship, natural resources and
heavy reliance on heating oil, LPG or solid fuel for heating, have huge and unique potential to benefit from
this low carbon transition (particularly in the generation and use of renewable energy).
Rural areas tend to rely upon tourism related activities just as much as or more so than urban areas. In
2009, the tourism sector was estimated to have contributed £52 billion to the British economy and
employed 1.36 million people. By 2020 it is predicted that the sector will generate an additional 250,000
jobs.
However, one of the drivers of several rural economies – the public sector- is likely to diminish over the
next few years. Economic analysis undertaken by Rose Regeneration and the Rural Services Network (RSN)
has found that one in three jobs in rural local authority areas are in the public sector. Prime Minister David
Cameron's home county of Oxfordshire has the highest number of public sector employees (96,000 jobs),
with Norfolk, Devon, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Somerset, North Yorkshire, Cornwall and
County Durham also having high public sector job counts.
Links:
defra - Foot and Mouth Disease
Wikipedia – foot and mouth disease