Shoppers urged to reverse UK self-sufficiency drop
Shoppers are being urged to help reverse a decline in UK self-sufficiency, which has dropped so low that food produced in the country would barely feed the population for eight months.
According to the NFU, the UK’s self-sufficiency rate means food supplies would run out on Wednesday (14 August) if all the food produced in the country in a year was stored and eaten from 1 January.
The country produces just 62% of its own food and currently imports about £37.6bn of food and drink – figures the NFU said were unacceptable at a time of economic uncertainty.
| NFU’s Back British Farming Charter |
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1. Government must back British farming by working across all departments to support farmers in their challenge to produce more food to feed our nation 2. Retailers must back British farming by stocking more British food and working in partnership with British farmers to develop committed, fair and beneficial relationships 3. Caterers, chefs and restaurants must back British farming by sourcing more British food 4. We, the people, must back British farming by buying British food and demanding support for our farmers from retailers, politicians and all those who supply our food |
In a bid to reverse the decline in self-sufficiency, the NFU has launched a Back British Farming Charter to gain public, politicians’ and food industry support for British-produced food.
It hopes by signing the charter consumers will pledge to buy British food and asks them to demand retailers, politicians and food suppliers support the country’s farmers.
The charter also urges the government to support sustainable, productive farming across all departments and asks retailers to stock more British food and develop fair and beneficial relationships with producers.
Peter Kendall, NFU president, said the UK’s decline in self-sufficiency was alarming and a sign that action had to be taken to allow farmers to invest in their businesses and to address market volatility.
“As an industry we have had a challenging decade, but the realisation has dawned that as a nation we can’t simply go around the world chasing the cheapest deal for our food,” he said.
“[Our] farmers have a fantastic natural capacity to produce more British food, given the right market signals and the confidence to invest.
“But there is more to do to empower our farmers to enable them to make the most of our natural resources and feed our growing nation.
“I am immensely proud of British farming and I urge everyone who cares about British food to sign our pledge to ensure this British industry thrives.”
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