Extreme weather events and increased demand for
foodstuffs from emerging economies such as China need DEFRA leadership to
guarantee the UK’s long-term food security, say MPs.
Launching a report on the food production and supply
dimensions of food security, Anne McIntosh, Chair of Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs Committee said:
"Complacency is a genuine risk to future UK food
security. If we want our food production and supply systems to be secure,
Government and food producers must plan to meet the impacts of climate change,
population growth and increasing global demand for food."
Anne McIntosh called for clearer lines of UK
governmental responsibility:
"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
Food Security report supports the idea of "sustainable
intensification"—producing more food with fewer resources—and
calls on Defra to stem decline in UK self-sufficiency and deliver more
resilience in the UK food system. It notes that for key cereal crops, for
example wheat, yield levels have not increased for over 15
years.
The
UK is currently 68% self-sufficient in foods which can be produced at home, but
this key indicator has declined steadily over the past 20 years, from 87%. The
report says the biggest long-term challenge to food production systems is the
impact of extreme weather events resulting from climate
change.
The
report calls for:
- Supermarkets to shorten supply chains to reduce threats
of disruption;
- UK
farmers to extend seasonal production of fresh fruit and vegetables in
coordination with the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, and
local and central Government;
- Government to reduce dependence on imported soybean for
animal feed, as increased demand for protein from emerging economies threatens
current supply lines; and
- Government to produce a detailed emissions reduction
plan for the UK agricultural sector.
Anne McIntosh adds:
"If we are to curb emissions and adjust to climate
change, we need a significant shift in how the UK produces food. For instance,
livestock production contributes 49% of farm-related emissions, so we need more
research to identify ways to curb this. 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 devastated the Somerset levels
last winter."
The
Committee welcomes the Government’s new £160 million AgriTech
Strategy to translate technological ideas into farm practice but warns that
current funding levels are insufficient. It cites precision farming
technologies as an example of good research, but one that needs commercial
partners to make it viable.
The
Committee says the Government must lead a public debate to counter food safety
fears among consumers about GM foods. The Government must also ensure a more
evidence-based approach to EU licensing of GM crops.
The
Government must also intensify its efforts to get new farmers into the sector,
to ensure that farming has a future in the UK.
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