The BECOTEPS White Paper

1
The BECOTEPS White Paper

• BECOTEPs Science Writer
• Mary Brennan
• Senior Lecturer in Food Marketing
• School of Agriculture, Food and Rural
  Development,
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

2
Who am I?

• Interdisciplinary academic training (Engineering
  Marketing)
• Senior Lecturer in Food Marketing
• Specialist in Food Consumer Research
• Risk Perceptions and Risk Communication
• Member of the Food Standards Agency UK Social
  Science Research Committee and working with the
  Advisory Committee on Microbiological Food Safety
• Have and continue to undertake food consumer
  research for a range of funders
• Food Standards Agency
• Safefood Food Safety Promotions Board, Ireland
• EU Framework 6 Programme Quality Low Input Food
  Project
• Economic and Social Research Council, UK.

3
What is my role?

• To write the BECOTEPS White Paper for both policy
  and non-specialist audiences (number of versions
  to be decided)

4
The generic role of a White Paper

• To lay out and argue a specific position or
  solution (or set of solutions) to a
  business/policy problem.

5
Aim of BECOTEP White Paper (s)

• To present a summary of the work undertaken in
  BECOTEP, in particular the 3 workshops and
  present a critical review of the gaps between
  strategic objectives and research preparedness
  thus helping to forge and develop the necessary
  links between scientists and applications.

6
Key Challenges

• To improve competiveness robustness of Europes
  food, feed, agricultural, forest based and
  breeding industries by reducing barriers to
  uptake of new and improved technologies
  insights
• To address and improve collaboration
  co-operation between stakeholders in the forest
  based agricultural biomass users sectors
• To investigate solutions for achieving
  sustainable (economically, environmentally and
  socially viable solutions) animal plant
  production by addressing the impact of climate
  change and land use to the establishment of KBBE.

7
How will I do this?

• Detailed review of the Mission statements and
  strategic research agendas of the associated
  ETPS.
• Attendance at, and observation of, all three
  planned workshops
• Analysis of the activities and outcomes of each
  workshop
• Analysis of online consultation activities
  associated with each workshop
• Discussions with the BECOTEP management board

8
Approach to writing the White Paper

• An Audience-Focused Approach
• Gain affinity with the audience by quickly
  identifying problems and concerns to face with
  respect to the overall identified problem under
  investigation (Gains their attention)
• Focus on the problems that your solutions will
  overcome demonstrate up front the individually
  relevant benefits of your proposals for them
  personally (Makes the paper feel relevant to
  their circumstances)
• Acknowledge the issues that cause particular pain
  to you readers with respect to the problems you
  are considering (Builds your credibility with
  the audience)
• Provide sufficient detailed to properly explain
  how you have considered the problems and
  developed the solutions whilst being carefully to
  keep the paper digestible both from a language,
  style and length perspective.
• Do all of this from the stand point of an
  overarching an perspective rather than from that
  of an individual sector/stakeholder!!

9
The Sections

• Introduction
• To clearly lay our the problems that the white
  paper will address
• Core
• The aim is to take the reader ona jurney from the
  clearly defined problem through the challenges
  that they face and onto the range of
  opportunities and solutions that are available to
  them.
• I will draw on the developed recommendations and
  insights, in particular from the SWOT analyses
  conducted in the workshops to guide the writing
  of the core of the white paper.