UK Food Group Constitution
REVISED and ADOPTED January 2007
The UK Food Group is the principal civil society network in the UK of organisations concerned with global food and farming issues. It provides a forum for debate on topical issues, conducts research and provides information to members, the public and decision makers. It liaises with relevant national and international networks and international organisations concerned with these issues.
1. UK Food Group Structure
The UK Food Group operates through Working Groups and provides the secretariat
to other self-organising groups. It has a Management Group and employs
a Co-ordinator.
2. The Membership
Membership of the UK Food Group is comprised of UK-based international
and national NGOs, which nominate representatives to attend meetings and
participate in the work of the UK Food Group.
Any UK-based NGO may apply for membership or observer status. Application to join the UK Food Group is made through the Co-ordinator and is decided by the Management Group. An annual membership fee is payable, to be determined each year by the Management Group.
In addition, the Management Group may invite individuals to take part in the work of the UK Food Group and attend its meetings as observers.
The Membership delegates responsibility for UK Food Group affairs, including finance and general policy, to the Management Group, which is answerable to the Members at UK Food Group meetings.
2.1 Members' Meetings
Members' Meetings take place at least once a year. These meetings
are attended by representatives of the Member organisations of the UK
Food Group. The UK Food Group Management Group may also invite observers
and guests. The Members' Meetings receive reports from and review the
activities of the Working Groups and discuss how the work inter-relates
and contributes to the overall aims of the UK Food Group
The Members' Meetings agree the overall policy direction of the UK Food Group, as recommended by the Management Group. UK Food Group business matters are also undertaken at Members' Meetings, as required.
3. The Management Group
The Management Group consists of representatives of the UK Food Group
members or observers who are ex officio (Treasurer) selected by Working
Groups (the two co-chairs of each Working Group are members of the Management
Group) or through elections of constituency representatives at Members'
meetings for a term of three years. Re-election is permissible. The Management
Group may co-opt individuals whose membership of the Management Group
should be approved at a subsequent Members' Meeting.
Thus, the Management Group includes:
- Representatives of organisations that relate to the UK Food Group's
constituencies: development; environment; consumer; farming community
- Co-Chairs of the working groups
- The Treasurer
The Co-ordinator is Secretary to the Management Group and attends all meetings.
Management Group members act in the interest of the UK Food Group as a whole and not their individual organisations.
3.1 The Role of the Management Group
The Management Group meets quarterly and is a strategic body. It determines
the general policy direction of the UK Food Group's work and identifies,
on the basis of analysis of global food and farming trends, key issues
that the UK Food Group should address collectively, subject to approval
by the members. The Management Group has overall responsibility for matters
of finance and routine oversight of these delegated to the Treasurer.
The Management Group oversees the implementation of the work programme and the work of the Co-ordinator. It reports back (through the Co-ordinator and Working Group Chairs) on the implementation of the work programme at the UK Food Group Members' Meetings. The Management Group is responsible for programme evaluations of the work of the UK Food Group. (For current membership of the Management Group, see Annex)
3.2 Chair of the Management Group
The Chair is selected by the Management Group members for a period of
three years. This term may be renewed. The role is primarily to Chair
the UK Food Group members Meetings, Chair Management Group meetings and
any other duties required of the Chair. Ad hoc meetings of the Management
Group may be called by the Chair when necessary. Outcomes of all Management
Group meetings and ad hoc meetings will be provided for all the Management
Group members.
3.3 The Treasurer of the UK Food Group
The Treasurer is selected by the Management Group for a period of three
years. This term may be renewed. The Treasurer becomes an ex officio member
of the Management Group.
4. The Co-ordinator
The Co-ordinator reports to, and is managed by, the Management Group.
The day to day management of the work of the UK Food Group and managing its membership, communications (website and listserves), budget and reporting to donors is delegated to the Co-ordinator.
The Co-ordinator is responsible for organising the UK Food Group Members' Meeting and meetings of the Management Group. The Co-ordinator's written reports are circulated to the Management Group before each Management Group meeting.
Responsibility for public affairs with outside bodies is delegated to the Co-ordinator. This includes ensuring appropriate representation at external meetings by relevant Management Group members and Working Group members.
5. Working Groups
Working groups are composed of representatives of UK Food Group member
organisations and co-opted individuals. The Working Groups develop and
implement their own workplans within the overall programme of the UKFG.
.
The Working Groups select two co-chairs who become members of the Management Group. The Chairs provide leadership for the Working Groups, chair the meetings, report to the Management Group and liaise with the Co-ordinator on a regular basis on research proposals and events proposed by the Working Groups. The Chairs of the working groups work with the Co-ordinator to prepare discussion items for the Working Group meetings and one of the Co-chairs or nominee reports back on the activities of the Working Groups at Members' Meetings.
The Working Groups may also delegate work to sub-groups.
In addition the UK Food Group, with the agreement of the Management Group, may provide the Secretariat to other self-organising working groups that fit within the overall remit of the UKFG . If the UK Food Group provides financial services for these groups, and accountability structure will be agreed. The provision of this service will be kept under periodic review including their relationship with the UK Food Group.
6. Communication with Members of the UK Food Group
All members receive reports of the Members' Meeting, ad hoc updates of
activities from the Co-ordinator and can request minutes of Management
Group meetings. Members of the Working Groups receive reports of the Working
Group meetings. The website and listserves are used for communicating
specific information on activities, reports, events and relevant information.
ANNEX:
Members of the Management Group (Jan 2007)
- Christopher Jones, Farm Crisis Network / Agricultural Christian Fellowship
- Jeanette Longfield, Sustain (Treasurer and Co-chair of the Food Supply
Chain and Market Power Working Group)
- Patrick Mulvany, Practical Action /formerly ITDG (Chair of UK Food
Group and Co-chair of the Agricultural Production, Trade and Technology
Working Group)
- Hetty Selwyn, Farmers' Link (Co-chair of the Agricultural Production,
Trade and Technology WG)
- Dan Taylor, Find Your Feet
- Bill Vorley, IIED, (Co-chair of the Food Supply Chain and Market Power Working Group)
- Linda Craig, PAN-UK (co-opted by the Management Group, October 2006)
- Tim Rice, Action Aid UK (co-opted by the Management Group, December 2006)
ENDNOTES:
The current Working Groups of the UK Food Group are:
1) The Agricultural Production, Technology and Trade working group, run jointly with Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, which currently also has two sub-groups:
- Biofuels Working Group. Facilitating an e-forum on bio-fuels for sharing
news, campaign ideas, research and new reports on bio-fuels that may
lead to new research work.
- UK Working Group on Terminator technology that is part of the international Ban Terminator campaign.
2) The Food Supply Chain and Market Power working group
The following groups are currently provided with Secretariat functions by the UKFG.
1. The UK Soya Alliance, a group of UK NGOs whose objectives are:
- To increase public awareness of the impact that reliance on Soya beans
as a source of protein to feed humans and animals has on the environment/biodiversity,
human health, farmers and indigenous people.
- To research and promote sustainable alternatives to soya protein in animal feed
2. The UK Platform for Food Sovereignty, the UK chapter of the European Platform for Food Sovereignty, set up to promote understanding of food sovereignty among UK NGOs and build support with like-minded European campaigners