UK outdoors association launches ‘survival guide’ for FMD-affected manufacturers
The UK outdoor sector’s lead trade body, the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA), has just published a ‘Foot & Mouth Survival Guide’ aimed at helping manufacturers and retailers of outdoor clothing and equipment which have been hard hit by the closure of footpaths and access land across Britain this year.
The guide, currently being distributed to all OIA member companies, brings together useful information from the many recent government and other announcements with details of the key organisations outdoor sector traders can turn to for help with cash flow, staffing and related problems resulting from the foot and mouth crisis.
"While the support offered to businesses impacted by the closure of the countryside is far from ideal, there are a number of avenues which members can look to for assistance and even a three month holiday on your VAT bill must be worth taking seriously in the current climate" says the OIA’s Andrew Maxted.
"Many traders are understandably reluctant to admit to business difficulties and the prospect of pages of form filling and red tape is daunting, but we know members are having some success in getting rates deferred or a temporary reduction in their rateable value. It’s far better to seek out this help now rather than in a month or two when it may be too late."
The OIA is continuing to press ministers for further assistance through, for example, a low-cost, low-administration loan scheme or the cancellation of business rates for those hardest hit.
