Action needed as self-sufficiency continues to fall - Stuart Minting

Despite this, both former prime minister Rishi Sunak and Defra minister Steve Reed have underlined the importance of upholding and increasing the nation’s food security.

The Soil Association’s call for a “rapid and radical” transformation of the UK's food system is one few would contradict as the production of nurtrient-rich fresh ingredients goes hand in hand with the nation’s health.

There is hope on the horizon with science. Recent developments include heat-resistant potatoes that offer hope for protecting crops from intense heatwaves whilst maintaining their nutritional value.

Nevertheless, that Yorkshire has among the country’s smallest proportion of households able to feed themselves well only adds fuel to the arguments of campaigners and local politicians who say farmland, and in particular that rated best and most versatile, should be reserved for growing crops.

The coming months are set to see the argumnents rehearsed over and over across Yorkshire as energy firms come forward with proposals to cover swathes of agricultural land with solar panels.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures from 2023 show the UK is 62 per cent self-sufficient, but food sectors such as fresh vegetables have sunk to the lowest since records began in 1988.

Last year saw an exceptionally wet winters and spring, which hit domestic food production, as high global temperatures led to shortages of produce such as tomatoes and lettuces. Domestically-grown tomatoes make up only 16 per cent of the fruit on sale in the UK.

Government figures have confirmed the country's third lowest production for wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape since records began and an estimate for the harvest of Yorkshire’s most widespread crop, wheat, saw a drop across the country of some 20 per cent on the previous year.

Production of oilseed rape, which is regarded as an important crop for British food security due to its wide range of uses in food, industrial products and animal feed fell by an estimated 32 per cent, due to declines in both area and yield.

With climate change set to ramp up pressure on global food production, it’s vital policies to foster food production are brought forward as soon as possible.