In the mid-1930s, less than one third of the food available in the UK was home grown. As we know, the Second World War showed just how vulnerable the country was when access to imported food was cut off. Rationing did not fully end until 1953, and the government set targets to raise agricultural output by 60% compared to pre-war levels.
Today the country imports almost half the food it consumes (a fall from the mid-1980s), with much imported fresh produce coming from areas of production which are water stressed or environmentally degraded. The last five years has seen shortages and empty shelves due to a number of reasons including the Covid pandemic, extreme weather, the Ukraine war, and production changes – often due to low prices which are unsustainable for producers.
Despite this evidence however, there appear to be many people in government who believe that the UK should import its food (and export the environmental footprint) and that land is best used for environmental and leisure activities. Such an approach ignores the real risks posed from political and climate uncertainties and is also at odds with research that shows that an integrated approach combining food production and environmental enhancement delivers the best results.
The latest report from Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee has described such attitudes to food security as ‘incoherent,’ calling for a ‘sea change’ in policy. It echoes the findings of the Shropshire review on labour that access to labour is one of the key issues driving a reduction in UK food production as farmers and growers look for easier and more profitable options, including reducing the production of labour-intensive fruit and vegetable crops, and moving production overseas.
Despite warm words by the Prime Minister, there has been little or no action over the issues the industry faces over the last five-to-ten years. The Home Office has ignored continued evidence and statistics about the need for managed temporary worker visas and there has been little action to ensure sustainable returns to growers. The focus is on low prices for consumers, no matter what the longer-term costs may be in terms of availability or public health.
The current Environment Secretary has said that the market has not failed and that she sees no problems. Her complete disinterest in many sectors, and her apparent resentment of her brief, as well as farms and growers, has left many hoping she will be replaced if current rumours of a cabinet reshuffle prove true. For now, it will be interesting to see whether the government’s response to the EFRA report is any more positive than the rest of its communications on food and farming.
It isn’t just the EFRA committee that has been reviewing crop production. A Lord’s enquiry into the horticultural sector has been ignored by all the retailers who were invited to give evidence, with the notable exception of Tesco. While Tesco’s director for fresh food and commodities, Dominic Morrey, told the committee that; “fair pricing is the only way you are going to get a sustainable model that does all the right things for seasonal workers, the planet and so on,” some of his comments will surprise growers who have abandoned production because they cannot make a profit supplying supermarkets.
One issue, which groceries code adjudicator (GCA) Mark White identified, was a lack of buyer knowledge about their products and a lack of engagement with their suppliers. This has been a grower complaint for more than thirty years, although different retailers have been better or worse at different times. There is no doubt that the remote working imposed by the pandemic has made the overall situation worse, but it is also one of the easiest issues for retailers to fix. While there may be an underlying fear of buyers getting too close to their suppliers, encouraging proper relationships in the supply chain would be a good start, and is something that Morrisons appears to be investigating with its growing-costs initiative.
The September issue also includes articles on:
- Leafy Salads – Demo Day looks to the future
- Micro Nutrients – Understanding nuances of plant nutrition
- Machinery – root crop harvesters becoming more specialised
- Viruses – Understanding how viruses damage profits
To read these and more from “The Vegetable Farmer” subscribe today – find out more here