Union urges government to match words with action and listen to the experts by recognising the importance of food security in security strategy
Ahead of the UK’s national security strategy, the NFU has called on the government to ensure food security is “firmly embedded” in the scope of its plan.
The strategy is expected to be published on Tuesday 24 June, to align with the NATO summit in the Netherlands. It will explain how the government intends to keep the UK safe at a time of rising global instability.
The NFU stresses that food should be included in the plan – reiterating the words of its president Tom Bradshaw at Festival of Fresh on 5 June.
“If we live in a volatile enough world to re-arm, the flip side of that coin is food security,” he told the audience. “If the government genuinely feels there is enough risk to re-arm – we need imports, let me be clear, but we also need production here.”
The government’s own manifesto states that ‘food security is national security’, a message ministers have echoed time and again. The NFU pointed out that this aligns with the view of former MI5 director general Baroness Manningham-Buller, who said food production is a key pillar of the UK’s critical infrastructure.
Despite this, a recent report by the National Preparedness Commission, a committee made up of crises experts, highlights the precarious state of the UK’s food system, warning of its vulnerability to shocks and the need for urgent action to bolster domestic food resilience.
Bradshaw said: “We are facing into an increasingly volatile world. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report forecasts heightened global instability over the next decade, with conflict and economic shocks on the rise and extreme weather becoming the norm. It’s therefore vital that the resilience of our food system is considered a strategic priority.
“The nation was reminded all too recently of the consequences of fragile food supply chains, with supermarket shelves bare and fresh produce rationed because of high production costs here and bad harvests abroad.
“If ministers truly believe their own words and take the experts seriously, they’ll seize this moment to put food security at the heart of our national security strategy. It’s not just an opportunity; it’s a necessity to safeguard the future of food for the nation.”
