Opinion: Collaboration key to cutting food waste in agriculture

Every farmer knows the feeling. You work the land, nurture a crop, invest time, labour and money, yet some of what you grow never leaves the farm.

It might be the wrong size, the wrong shape, or simply too much for the market at that moment.

Millions of tonnes of fruit and vegetables, grown to the same standards as supermarket produce, are left without a commercial route to market.

For many farms, it feels inevitable. But what if we saw it as an untapped opportunity?

See also: Farmland loss puts UK food security at risk, study warns

I write as both a sixth-generation apple grower and chief executive of City Harvest, a charity redistributing surplus produce to communities in need of affordable food.

From both sides of the fence, I understand how closing the loop on farm waste benefits farmers, the public, and the planet.

Waste means sunk costs. Every carrot, cabbage or punnet of berries represents seed, fertiliser, water, labour, machinery, time and energy.

When produce does not make it into the supply chain, all those inputs are irrecoverable. Some will never meet retail specifications, but that does not make this “wonky food” worthless.

Alternative routes

By finding alternative routes for the surplus, we can recover some value. Sometimes that means developing new markets or processing. Or it can mean redistribution to people who cannot afford fresh produce.

Either way, food remains in the system rather than being sent to anaerobic digestion or animal feed.

Many farmers already work hard to find outlets for surplus – local markets, farm shops, processing, or donations.

The challenge is scale and logistics. How do you move bulk quantities of perishable goods quickly enough to keep them fresh?

How do you make redistribution simple enough that it does not add extra strain to an already busy operation?

Collaboration is key. We need to share best practices and connect farms to networks, both commercial or charitable, that can move their produce fast and efficiently.

Our Harvest for Hunger scheme allows farmers to request free pick-ups of surplus via our website.

Defra funding is enabling us to scale this service, expand our fleet and depots, and make redistribution straightforward.

We collect from across the supply chain, including farms, and deliver to more than 375 community partners.

For farmers, the benefits are tangible: Lower waste disposal costs, stronger sustainability, and the satisfaction of knowing your produce is feeding people.

Primary production

Sustainability charity the Waste and Resources Action Programme estimates that 3.6m tonnes of food is lost or wasted at the primary production stage each year in the UK, worth around £1.2bn at market prices.

Recent statistics from the Office of National Statistics also revealed that food inflation rose by 4.9% between January and July this year and is on an upward trajectory.

With millions across the UK facing food insecurity, the social case for tackling waste is clear.

Ensuring that more of the national crop reaches those who need it most strengthens farming’s contribution to food security and makes better use of what farmers work so hard to produce.

The NFU has also highlighted how seeing good food go to waste can take a toll on mental wellbeing, with crop loss and economic pressures adding to already high stress levels across the farming community.

Reducing waste at farm level not only supports food security, but also contributes to a more sustainable, resilient, and healthier farming sector.

The national “waste crop” will never vanish entirely, but it can shrink, and what remains can be better utilised. Closing the loop on farm waste is a social win, a business win, and a reputational win.