On Back British Farming Day, the NFU calls on the government to set ambitious targets for domestic food production and reverse a 30-year trend of decline
For all the talk of UK national security over the decades, the country remains remarkably vulnerable to shocks to the global food supply chain, according to a report by the NFU – shocks that are growing in frequency.
In 10 out of 11 everyday foods, including vegetables, the UK’s self-sufficiency has fallen in the last 30 years, the study revealed, with its reliance on imported food steadily rising. Agri-food import volumes were up 70 per cent over the period, while export volumes have stalled.
“This not only means the country has become increasingly reliant on imports to feed it, at a time of growing global insecurity,” the report stated, “but it also raises the risk of the accumulated impact of these gradual year-on-year drops in production eroding the wider processing, supply chain and skills base which our food production depends on. Once the erosion of this base reaches a tipping point, it will be extremely difficult – and in some cases almost impossible – to rebuild.”
On Back British Farming Day, the annual event to celebrate the food and farming sector, the NFU is calling on the government to set ambitious targets to boost domestic food production, for which there is strong public support.
“With 93 per cent of British households agreeing that it’s important to maintain or increase UK food self-sufficiency, the public’s message is clear,” the NFU stated. “On Back British Farming Day – the day the country celebrates the nation’s food producers – the NFU is offering government a clear alternative and a route away from a growing food security crisis in its Ready to Grow report.”
The timing couldn’t be more appropriate, as the UK reels from its worst drought in 50 years, while soaring fuel, fertiliser and energy costs linked to the Iran war push farm finances to breaking point.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw commented: “Successive governments have sleepwalked into making it harder to produce food at home, leaving Britain increasingly reliant on imports produced to standards that would be illegal here.
“Farmers are battling devastating drought, disease outbreaks and soaring costs. At the same time, policy uncertainty, chronic underinvestment and a restrictive planning system are eroding Britain’s ability to produce its own food. This must and can be reversed.”
Alongside declining soil health, too much and too little water is expected to increasingly shape agricultural productivity, with investment in water storage, irrigation efficiency, soil resilience and catchment planning seen by the NFU as crucial to reduce risk and support growth.
“Providing certainty in these areas would also help rebuild farmer confidence, which is essential if businesses are to make the long-term investment decisions needed to drive growth and strengthen resilience,” the NFU stated.
According to a five-year rolling average from Defra, fresh vegetable production is down by a fifth since 1995, while demand has remained stable, met by growing imports.
Demand for fresh fruit grew by around 43 per cent in the same period, with imports capturing almost all that growth. In potatoes, domestic production has fallen nearly twice as fast as demand, as growers have left the business due to rising costs and weather risks.
For all three categories, the NFU sees an opportunity to rebuild domestic supply to serve a large home market.
“British farming is ready to grow,” the NFU concluded. “But to do so, it needs government to acknowledge the importance of food production to the country and work with us to unlock its economic potential.”
