UK food security: leadership and self-sufficiency are key

The UK government must show greater leadership and clearer lines of responsibility on the issue of food security, a new report by MPs has warned.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efra) also said the UK needed to increase its self-sufficiency in key food commodities and reduce its reliance on imported food and feed.

Efra chair, Anne McIntosh said: 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 published by Efra said: the UK was just 68% self-sufficient in foods it could produce itself, down from 87% 20 years ago. It identified imported animal feed, especially soybean, as an area where UK food security was especially vulnerable, given growing demand for protein from emerging markets, and called on the government to take action to reduce the UKs reliance on feed imports.

It also urged supermarkets to shorten their supply chains so as to better protect them from possible disruption, and for British farmers to boost the UKs self-sufficiency by extending seasonal production of fruit and veg.

The report said climate change and more volatile weather patterns were the number-one threat to UK food security, and the government should produce a detailed plan for reducing the emissions of the UKs farming sector.

Anne McIntosh said: If we are to curb emissions and adjust to climate change, we need a significant shift in how the UK Produces food. Farmers also need better longer-term weather forecasts and more resilient production systems to be able to cope with severe weather events such as the floods that have devastated the Somerset levels last winter.

The Efra report also warned the UKs current agri-tech strategy was not sufficiently funded, and said the government should spearhead efforts to educate consumers about the potential benefits of genetically modified crops.

Melanie Leech, Director General of the Food and Drink Federation said; the FDF agreed the UK had the potential to increase exports and substitute for imports in areas where we can develop the capacity to do so. We agree with the need for a more joined-up approach to policy making in these areas, both in the UK and in Europe, and with the importance of informed, evidence-based, consumer choice in relation to issues like new technologies and the health and resource implications of what we eat. Addressing these challenges is a shared responsibility for government, industry and other stakeholders within a clear strategic framework.

Duncan Williamson, Food Policy Manager at WWF UK said he was pleased the Efra report had recognised the importance of government departments working together to deliver food security. However, he urged caution over their support for sustainable intensification, saying – we need to be cautious about 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. 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 planets systems, and be better for our health and well-being.

The Crop Protection Agency, whose members include Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, said the government needed to make sure its agri-tech strategy was properly funded to deliver on its food security ambitions.

Nick von Westenholz, CEO of the Crop Protection Agency, said: Its not just about ensuring the R&D pipeline is properly funded and structured – it must be accompanied by a regulatory system that does not stifle innovation by preventing farmers from having access to the tools they need. The UK government must challenge the current approach being taken by European regulators and policy makers on issues such as pesticides and GMO, which demonstrates an over-emphasis on precaution that fails to recognise the vital role these technologies must play in feeding the world.

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