Yorkshire Forward clinches Canadian trade opportunity

25/06/2010

Nova Scotia - Yorkshire Trade Corridor to create reciprocal business

Cape Breton - Humber seafood link to spearhead wide ranging transatlantic trading links

Creating trade opportunities alongside a global yacht race has again proved extremely fruitful in the latest overseas business mission to take place alongside the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Hull & Humber is the only English entry in the 35,000 miles race and celebrated a great victory in securing first place on the stage from New York to Cape Breton Island on Atlantic Canada’s north eastern coastline.

A high-profile trade delegation, led by a Humber Partnership and coordinated on their behalf by Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, held a range of business-to-business meetings and participated in a major international conference aimed at taking the first steps towards establishing a Trade Corridor between Cape Breton and the Humber.
The opportunity has been created by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward which has supported an entry in the last two Clipper Races to raise the profile of the region on a world stage, and to boost trade and tourism. The agency also secured major events to host the Clipper fleet in 2007, the race start last September and the forthcoming race finish on 17th July.

Events in Hull around the race start weekend attracted a crowd in excess of 150,000 people and were estimated to generate a visitor spend of almost £10 million. Hopes are high of another significant economic impact for the race finish.

Sarah Pearson, assistant director of Humber at Yorkshire Forward said: “In addition to the benefits of hosting major events, this latest initiative is a great example of how dialogues established between boat sponsors have grown into tangible trade opportunities. We first met representatives from Cape Breton in the UK last May and then again at the race start in Hull in September, plus at several ports of call around the world. It rapidly became clear that we had much in common and the seafood sector offered the perfect fit between supply and demand for the Humber processing sector.”

Mike Dillon, Vice Principal Grimsby Institute and President IAFE (the professional body for seafood trade and regulation) created the conference programme and is closely involved with international trade bodies and the UN in establishing trade corridors. He said: “It’s quite simple really; we’re both big in seafood: Cape Breton wants to sell some and the Humber wants to buy some.

“But we need to create the framework to support that. For some it may be as simple as connecting sellers and buyers, in other instances we may need to develop regulatory and logistical infrastructure, as well as academic support. 

“As a trade corridor this is a strategic partnership. But we could be seeing 20 or 30 containers within the next few months. This doesn’t have to be a long process to get started.”

A pilot shipment is already being planned with a follow-up Seafood Summit organised to take place at the same time as the race finish.

Wynne Griffiths, chair of the Humber Seafood Institute said there are some real opportunities for the Humber and Cape Breton: “The seafood processing industry on the Humber is totally dependent on imported raw materials. At the moment we’re bringing in around 70 species from over 30 countries. It’s a global industry so we have to go out and source that product globally.

“If you want to sell seafood to the UK, the Humber is the gateway. The Humber Seafood Institute is the one point of communication in which you get all the elements of the industry brought together; it makes it easy!”

This latest mission builds on a rare tripartite trade collaboration relationship with counterpart agencies in Qingdao and Cape Breton secured by Yorkshire Forward during the Clipper stopover in China in February his year.

Ms Pearson added: “I am confident that the establishment of a dedicated trade corridor will drive big business opportunities between Cape Breton and the Humber, and could grow to include other sectors such as renewable energy, ports & logistics, healthcare and hi-tech industries.”

Trade mission delegates reported significant business leads and contacts that they expect to result in tangible sales within the next few months.

Yorkshire Forward’s counterpart agency in Canada in Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation. Chief Executive John Lynn said: “This initiative is working at many different levels. In addition to the economic impact of the visiting yachts the UK Trade delegation from Hull and the Humber was extensive and has led to establishing a significant Trade Corridor on which we can build. We look forward to following up in July when Cape Breton businesses will visit the Humber alongside the race finish.”

Both Cape Breton and Qingdao intend to send delegations to the race finish in Hull and the Humber on 17 July.

More information

Press contact for more information - Jonathan Levy: mobile 07813 948385
Laura Scholey, Press Manager at Yorkshire Forward on 0113 3949540 or email laura.scholey@yorkshire-forward.com