British food self-sufficiency has dropped two per cent year-on-year to 60 per cent – despite British farmers being geared up to produce more.
As a result, the NFU is using today (August 7) - the day the UK would allegedly run out of food without imports - to highlight what it perceives to be the backward slide of food security in UK food production.
It is encouraging consumers, retailers, politicians and the wider food industry to 'Back British Farming'; to give farmers the right signals to produce more, in attempt to 'arrest the worrying and continuing decline of self-sufficiency in this country since 1991'.
NFU president Meurig Raymond, said: “To think UK food would only last until today without imports is an alarming notion. But looking back over the last two decades and seeing the downward slope in self-sufficiency says to me, 'this needs to change.'
“We know people want to buy British food, with 86 per cent of shoppers wanting to buy more traceable food produced on British farms. What we need now is for farming to be at the heart of decision-making across the wider food industry and government, to allow for more food to be both produced and consumed here, in the UK.
“Even though the latest figures are startling, British farming is a sector we can be proud of. It produces the raw ingredients for the £97 billion UK food and drink industry. But the trade gap is widening – while our export performance has doubled in the last decade, we are spending £21.3bn more on imports than we are receiving from exports – up from £10.2bn in 1991. What needs to happen now is for us as a country is to give farmers the green light to produce more food for us.'
A spokesperson for the Fresh Produce Consortium, added: 'We support moves to increase production of UK indigenous fresh produce, and understand the NFU’s desire to improve self-sufficiency in its call to back British farmers.
'In 2013, the UK was 55 per cent self-sufficient in vegetable production and 10 per cent self-sufficient in fruit production. According to Defra’s latest horticultural statistics, overall, self-sufficiency in fresh produce has decreased from 46 per cent in 2000 to 34 per cent in 2013.
'The NFU certainly has a green light to increase UK production, but we need to be realistic about the potential for the UK to become totally self-sufficient. The UK’s climate will always limit the range of produce which can be grown here, which is why imported produce is such a key component to the nation’s healthy eating habits and meets the expectations of our diverse population.
'FPC has worked with Defra and others to encourage British growers to expand their market share, particularly among the food service and wholesale sectors which can be overlooked by some British growers.
'There are over 400 different types of fresh produce available in the UK, not all of which can be grown in the UK. However, if UK growers want to more self-sufficient they should consider going beyond the more traditional products they offer currently.'
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