CLA responds to the UK Food Security Review 2021
The UK Government released its’ UK Food Security Review 2021 today. It is relevant to the devolved nations of the UK. In Wales this is relevant as the Welsh Government considers food strategy in the context of the recently introduced Food (Wales) Bill and the nascent Sustainable Farming Scheme
CLA President Mark Tufnell said:
“Between the pandemic and Brexit, the UK’s food security has come under considerable pressure – and it has largely passed the test.
“Our diverse supply chain provides considerable resilience and choice through the year, but many will consider it unacceptable for the UK to be importing 46% of its food. While we are largely self-sufficient in many grains, meat and dairy products, at present only 16% of the fruit we consume is home-grown, with that figure rising to 50% for vegetables. Government and industry must work together to improve self-sufficiency in these sectors.
“The report shows in no uncertain terms that British farmers play a major role in the UK’s food security, now and in the future. But many of the threats we face as farmers are beyond our control – not least from climate change, changes to agricultural and labour policy, as well as the development of new trade deals, all of which could increase our reliance on imports.