The latest UN projections for global agricultural productivity growth send a clear message that Europe’s policy-makers must take action to address the global food security threat or risk consigning EU agriculture to ever-declining productivity and competitiveness against farmers in other parts of the world.

The recent FAO Agricultural Outlook report predicts just four per cent growth in European crop yields over the next decade, a figure little better than the rate of growth predicted for sub-Saharan Africa over the same period.

As the world enters a new era of higher commodity prices and more volatile food markets, and with global demand for food set to increase by 50 per cent over the next 20 years, these forecasts should be ringing alarm bells in Brussels and capitals across the 27 EU member states.

The mindset of restraining production, which has so dominated EU farm policy in recent decades, must now give way to a new recognition of Europe’s leadership role in addressing the global food crisis.

Inevitably, much of the debate is focused on the needs of developing countries, where the impact of food insecurity is most immediate. But many of these regions, in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia, for example, will also be hardest hit by the effects of climate change.

There is a responsibility on regions of the world less vulnerable to the impact of climate change to optimise our agricultural productivity.

Europe enjoys natural advantages of soil and climate, and EU farmers are well-equipped to capitalise on the productivity benefits of modern agricultural technologies.

The FAO projections are a wake-up call for Europe. In particular, EU policy-makers must recognise the need to develop and promote access to hi-tech agriculture to increase productivity over the next decade and beyond.

As a first step, we must halt the damaging impact of an EU regulatory environment based on fear rather than science in blocking the development of agricultural biotechnology and restricting farmers’ access to vital crop protection tools. Action is also needed to reverse decades of chronic under-funding of production-focused agricultural R&D. Increased investment in applied and translational research is urgently needed.

Failure to support rapid growth in EU agricultural production could have devastating consequences. It will lead to Europe importing an increased level of food from the developing world, only adding to the global levels of hunger and malnutrition, greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity.

Europe can no longer afford to be left behind in the drive to develop more efficient science-based agriculture and food production.