£5.6bn needed to support UK food security, NFU warns

UK food security is in peril unless the government gives the sector a significant cash injection in the upcoming Spending Review, the NFU has warned.
Setting out a long list of demands, the NFU says far greater input is needed to bolster UK food production and reduce reliance on imports.
The review is expected from chancellor Rachel Reeves on 11 June, when she will detail government spending for the next three years.
See also: Defra indicates spending review pivotal to future of SFI
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “Make no mistake, global instability and a more unpredictable climate is making home-grown food production harder, while also putting pressure on food supply chains around the world.
“We simply must invest in food production to safeguard the future of our food.”
Budget increase
Top of the NFU’s wish list is the provision of a UK-wide budget for agriculture of £5.6bn a year, of which £4bn should be available in England, including £615m for productivity improvements.
That compares with current spending by Defra of £2.6bn in England for this year, falling to £2.4bn next year.
“We know the Treasury is having to make difficult decisions, but this is not money for money’s sake,” said Mr Bradshaw.
“Investment in home-grown food production now will help secure UK food security in the future.
“It will secure jobs and the economic contribution of the sector, as well as kick-start rural economic growth by breaking down barriers to opportunity for rural communities.”
Other demands
Other key demands include:
- A cross-government, fully-funded biosecurity plan, with proper border control, to prevent disease outbreaks
- End-to-end R&D funding for agri-tech to drive productivity and produce food in a smarter, more sustainable way
- A sufficient budget to invest in flooding management, including a national programme of water storage
- A review the NFU’s “clawback” proposal for inheritance tax, limiting it to any successors who then sell the farm.
“One thing the chancellor must do to restore confidence and enable investment in the farming sector is to do the right thing on the family farm tax,” said an NFU statement.
“Without this, unaffordable bills could tear family farm businesses apart and dry up any possible investment or growth opportunities.”
Food security
The publication of the NFU’s wish list comes in the wake of the National Preparedness Commission’s warning that the UK’s food security is in a “precarious state”.
Authored by Prof Tim Lang at City St George’s, University of London, the report calls for urgent action to make food systems more resilient, in order to safeguard the nation’s food supply in the face of increasing global shocks and pressures.
Farmers Weekly has approached both the treasury and Defra for a response to the NFU’s demands.