UK not doing enough to avert food crisis
As food price inflation hits 40-year high, industry figures gather at Westminster to call for immediate action to back homegrown UK food security plan
Calls from the UK’s farming and food production heartland are being made for the Government to take decisive action to stop empty supermarket shelves becoming a regular feature of daily life.
An increasing dependence on global supply chains, Covid-19, climate change, and geopolitical shocks has contributed to the highest levels of food price inflation in over 40 years, with over one in ten households now experiencing day-to-day food insecurity, and last year food inflation hitting 19%. Nearly half of all food is also imported.
A new food security report published by the Great South West, a high-growth £81bn economy, at an event at Westminster on Monday 14 October, outlines how the region is strongly positioned to help deliver food security, an issue of national importance. The Industrial Strategy Green Paper, launched this week, makes clear how critical security is to building a strong economy.
Karl Tucker, Chair of Yeo Valley Farms and the Great South West Partnership, said:
“We need action. It is clear we have to ramp up domestic food production in a sustainable way - not years down the line, but now. Our dependence on imports is a risk. We need to tackle it through targeted investment in sustainable farming and innovation. It’s the only way to reduce our huge vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions, climate change, and a very uncertain geopolitical reality.”
As the UK grapples with ongoing challenges in food supply and rising food insecurity, the Great South West region, spanning Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, is stepping forward as a key player in securing the nation’s food future. Home to England’s largest fishing fleet and 1.24 million hectares of farmland, as well as a thriving array of industries and innovation clusters, the Great South West is primed to tackle the country’s food security challenges, and is already supporting 295,000 jobs across the agri-food supply chain and generating over £5.6 billion in gross value added (GVA) from food production.
Michael Caines MBE, Michelin-starred chef and patron of Lympstone Manor hotel in Devon, backs the need for action. He said: “With the right support, we can lead the way in creating a resilient, sustainable food system that benefits not just our region, but the whole country. As a champion for local, sustainable produce, I see the Great South West as a vital part of the UK’s food future. This region’s unique natural resources and rich agricultural history provides an incredible opportunity to boost domestic food production and support our farmers and food producers.”
Melanie Squires MBE, Regional Director for NFU South and Chair of the Great South West’s Food Security Programme Board, said: “Food security and national economic security are acutely aligned and speak to the vision set out in the recently released Industrial Strategy Green Paper. The Great South West has the capability and readiness to work with Government to generate high economic growth outcomes over the next decade whilst playing a key role in the UK’s future food security.”
Prof Richard Preziosi, Director of the Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent & Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS), University of Plymouth, sponsor of the Westminster event, said: “We face growing food security challenges across the nation, from increased seasonal food demand to overstressed supply chains and declining biodiversity. But our region, with its rich history in farming and a booming agri-tech sector, bolstered by research excellence from the University of Plymouth, means that we have the capacity to meet those challenges head-on and deliver real and lasting benefits, both in the South West region and for the planet as a whole.”
Download the Food Security Position Paper: greatsouthwest.co.uk/insights
