Farmers’ union says food security needs to be a priority for government
The NFU has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to invest in the UK’s food security in the upcoming Spending Review.
With geopolitical tensions high, a rapidly changing trading environment and climate change disrupting food supply chains across the world, the NFU has highlighted how it believes investment in homegrown food production today can help avoid food insecurity tomorrow.
It comes in the wake of the National Preparedness Commission’s warning that the UK’s food security is in a ‘precarious state’.
There are five key areas which the NFU believes will help the UK’s food and farming sector to grow, and is asking the Treasury to support in the Spending Review. They are:
- A UK-wide annual agriculture budget of £5.6 billion – a long-term policy approach on the farming budget will enable a resilient, growing and sustainable agricultural sector that can plan to invest in the future, the union says. Without this, the NFU says it is unclear how the sector will be able to meet the government’s targets and commitments across nature, climate, productivity and food security.
- A cross-government, fully funded biosecurity plan – the NFU believes a biosecure Britain requires resource in order to prevent disease outbreaks and, when necessary, to tackle the latest threats. Without this, it says, ”we remain at risk of another major disease outbreak that threatens entire sectors, alongside new risks exacerbated by climate change and increased exposure through inadequate border control and import checks.”
- An end-to-end R&D budget for agri-tech – a revolution in British agri-tech innovation is needed to drive productivity and to produce food in a smarter, more sustainable way, the NFU states. Defra’s new funding within the Farming Innovation Programme was well received by the NFU last week, and it believes a dedicated R&D budget would add even greater value and drive investment. Without this, British farmers and institutions could fall behind international competitors.
- A sufficient budget to invest in flooding management – with flooding events becoming ever more frequent, the NFU says the country needs a future-proofed investment plan to ensure the maintenance and expansion of flooding defences in order to keep communities safe. Without this, the NFU says families and businesses will continue to pick up the pieces of their homes and livelihoods each winter, and at great cost to the government.
- Review the NFU’s clawback proposal for Inheritance Tax changes – the NFU states that “one thing the Chancellor must do to restore confidence and enable investment in the farming sector is to do the right thing on the family farm tax. Without this, unaffordable bills could tear family farm businesses apart and dry up any possible investment or growth opportunities.”
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The UK’s food and drink sector is an economic powerhouse. It’s the country’s biggest manufacturing sector, contributing £148bn to the national economy and supporting more than four million jobs. Farm businesses are its foundation.
“Make no mistake, global instability and a more unpredictable climate is making homegrown food production harder, while also putting pressure on food supply chains around the world.
“We simply must invest in food production to safeguard the future of our food. Failure to do this will lead to reduced food production at home, forcing a reliance on imports which, as an island nation amidst serious global volatility, is not a smart move.
“We know the Treasury is having to make difficult decisions, but this is not money for money’s sake. Investment in homegrown food production now will help secure UK food security in the future. It will secure jobs and the economic contribution of the sector, as well as kickstart rural economic growth by breaking down barriers to opportunity for rural communities.
“The government has been talking about a new deal for farmers. A Spending Review that supports a growing, resilient, sustainable, biosecure and technologically advanced farming sector is the lynchpin to that new deal.”
