APPG extends its remit to include Industrial Hemp

In a meeting held in Westminster Palace on 8th March 2023, the APPG for CBD Products officially extended its remit to include industrial hemp, changing its name to the APPG for Industrial Hemp and CBD Products. The meeting also heralded a change of guard amongst the APPG officer line up, as Baroness Zahida Manzoor CBE stepped down as co-chair to be replaced by Ronnie Cowan MP of the SNP. Mr Cowan joins Crispin Blunt MP who remains as co-chair, a position held from the launch of the group, with consumer products group, Tenacious Labs remaining as secretariat for the next year.

Industrial hemp is a versatile crop that can be used to make a wide range of products, from textiles and construction materials to biofuels and biodegradable plastics. As a carbon-sequestering plant, it can help mitigate climate change while also providing farmers with a profitable and sustainable crop. The many uses of industrial hemp make it a promising alternative to fossil fuel-based products and a valuable addition to a circular economy.

The meeting proved to be a notable success for the industry, as economic affairs officer for UNCTAD, Mr Marco Fugazza, made the journey from UN headquarters in Geneva to speak to the group on how best to exploit the economic, social and environmental benefits of industrial hemp. The meeting, held in a parliamentary committee room in Westminster Palace, was standing room only, with attendees including representatives from the Home Office, the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Jersey Government, and the UK Food Standards Agency.

“The meeting was a tremendous success,” said CEO of APPG secretariat Tenacious Labs, “and shows that this group is not only growing in strength and influence, but is now recognised as the key group representing the whole of the British hemp industry within Westminster, with real legislative and regulatory change in sight.”