UK food self-sufficiency falls as import costs rise

UK food self-sufficiency by value fell from 65% to 60% in 2025, according to Defra’s latest Agriculture in the UK report, as rising import values increased the cost of the country’s food supply.

The decline does not appear to reflect a major fall in domestic agricultural output.

Defra’s figures show overall production volumes changed little, suggesting the value-based measure was driven largely by higher import prices and lower export values rather than a significant drop in the amount of food produced.

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The headline food production-to-supply ratio measures the value of UK food production as a share of the UK’s total food supply. Defra estimates the ratio at 60% for all food in 2025, down from 65% a year earlier.

Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank, argued that increasingly frequent extreme weather linked to climate change was contributing to higher import costs.

He said rising cereal import values followed England’s 2025 drought, which contributed to one of the country’s poorest harvests on record and left wheat self-sufficiency below longer-term averages for a second consecutive year.

Mr Lancaster also pointed to higher beef import values following a rise in global prices, partly driven by drought in the US, alongside increases in the cost of other climate-affected commodities.

“Extreme weather made worse by climate change is now having globally significant impacts on our food system, and much greater urgency is needed to reduce our emissions to net zero and bring our climate back into balance,” he said.

Widening gap

The report shows food, feed and drink imports increased by £3.1bn to £67.8bn in 2025, while exports fell by £200m to £25.7bn, widening the UK’s food trade gap to £42.1bn.

A UK government spokesman said the UK would “always protect the food security of this country” through its 25-year Farming Roadmap.

“We are backing British farmers to create a sustainable future for farming,” the spokesman said, adding that investment in new technology, productivity improvements and climate-resilient crops would help strengthen food security.

The NFU has also been approached for comment.