Gordon (Brown)’s hastily convened gathering of the great and good from the food industry could have big implications for farmers.
Before the meeting had even taken place the 10 Downing Street website signalled that biofuels were in the firing line.
The UK needs to be “more selective” in its support of biofuels, taking greater account of impacts on food prices and the environment, it signalled as news of the summit meeting with scientists, supermarkets, farmers and aid agencies started to filter out.
Global food issues will undoubtedly be the main focus for this summit, which will be attended by NFU chairman Peter Kendall this afternoon. But the fact that industry has made great efforts to audit the supply chains that could feed biofuel processing plants in the UK, ensuring they deliver real environmental benefits, must not be overlooked.
Provided that distinction is made, the summit could be good news for UK farming, which is long overdue a fairer share of the national household spend.
* The World Food Crisis is proving a popular discussion topic amongst farmers on FWi Space's forums.