Retailers must shorten supply chains and growers should extend seasonal production of fruit and vegetables, according to a new food security report released today.
The report, by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee, warned that the biggest long-term challenge to food production is the impact of extreme weather events resulting from climate change.
It called for more robust leadership from the Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defra), to make UK food production more resilient for the future through 'sustainable intensification' - producing more food with fewer resources.
According to the report, shorter retail supply chains would reduce the threat of disruption, while farmers should work with the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), and local and central government to extend growing seasons.The UK is currently 68 per cent self-sufficient in food that can be produced at home, a figure that has dropped from 87 per cent over the past 20 years.
The committee praised the new £160 million AgriTech Strategy but said that current funding levels are insufficient. It said precision farming is an example of good research but needs commercial partners to make it viable.
In addition, the government must lead a public debate to counter consumers’ food safety fears about GM foods, and intensify efforts to get new farmers into the sector to ensure that farming has a future in the UK. Defra must also produce a detailed emissions reduction plan for the UK agricultural sector, the report said.
'Complacency is a genuine risk to future UK food security,” said Efra committee chair Anne McIntosh. “If we want our food production and supply systems to be secure, government and food producers must plan to meet the impacts of climate change, population growth and increasing global demand for food.
'If we are to curb emissions and adjust to climate change, we need a significant shift in how the UK produces food.”
McIntosh said that farmers also need better longer-term weather forecasts and more resilient production systems to cope with severe weather events, such as the floods that affected the Somerset levels last winter.
Duncan Williamson, food policy manager at WWF, said the organisation supports sustainable intensification, but said there is a need for caution when arguing that the food security debate is all about producing more with less.
“Food security must be genuinely sustainable, with social and environmental considerations at its heart,” he said. “We also need to think and talk honestly about what we eat. We should be moving to diets that are less meat and more plant-based – this would place less pressure on the planet’s systems, and be better for our health and well-being.”
The report also looked at efficiency and sustainability in the UK retail supply chain. While welcoming the role of the Grocery Code Adjudicator, Christon Tacon, it suggested that her office should be able to initiate an investigation rather than waiting for a complaint to be made.
“We want to ensure that the role of the Grocery Code Adjudicator works for farmers and buyers, so that the farming industry remains both sustainable and efficient,” the report said.
“If farm incomes are squeezed unduly, farmers are unlikely to make the necessary investments in sustainable production. The creation of the role is welcome and must be properly resourced as part of a wider effort to promote food security.”
Melanie Leech, director general at FDF, said: “We are pleased to see the committee's strong support for UK food and farming, and for the role we can play in helping to ensure future food security by addressing the issues raised by climate change and global population growth.
“We agree with the committee that we have potential to increase exports further as well as substitute for imports in areas where we can develop the capacity to do so.”
McIntosh added: 'At least three departments are now responsible for food security – Defra, BIS and DECC. To ensure coherent planning and action, overall strategy must be led by Defra, who must ensure a robust approach right across Whitehall.'
The report comes as last month, delegatesat the Sustainable Foods Summit in Amsterdam were told about the need for 'immediate action' to prepare for food security, climate change and rising populations.
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