DEFRA secretary Caroline Spelman believes the UK fresh produce industry is one of the best positioned sectors in the global supply chain.
Spelman offered solace to growers recovering from one of the worst winters on record, encouraging them to embrace their new climatic position and thrive on their water supplies.
Speaking at a press conference following her speech at Tuesday’s NFU conference, Spelman told freshinfo fresh produce is at the heart of the government’s plans to push a considerable increase in home-grown production.
She said: “There is a very important role for fruit and vegetables in addressing the findings of the Foresight report. The possible shortages of water and energy are key issues.
“The shortage of water is unlikely to be handled equally across Europe, and in the UK and northern Europe we are less likely to be affected. We think of our fruit and vegetables as coming from sunny climes but these are likely to become arid climates going forward. I want the fresh produce industry to think in terms of the advantages that will come.”
Concerns have been rife in the UK vegetable trade that a number of companies are likely to go out of business in the coming months due to poor weather conditions in late 2010, but Spelman urged them to adapt.
“We have to stop thinking that these are exceptional circumstances. We thought that the dry spring and then the freezing winter were abnormal but they are not now - we need to improve our resilience,” she said.
During his opening address to the annual conference in Birmingham, NFU president Peter Kendall called on DEFRA to introduce a clear food strategy and expressed surprise that Spelman had adopted the Food 2030 plan “with Gordon Brown’s face splashed all over it”.
Spelman said she saw no reason to disregard the recommendations of the Food 2030 study but said the DEFRA and DFID-sponsored Foresight report is the key document in shaping future food policy for UK government.
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