Former Director General of MI5, The Baroness Manningham-Buller LG DCB said home grown food production is integral to our national security amid a time of “international crisis”.

She championed UK farmers, growers and producers and called for the Government to plan food supply as part of the UK’s national infrastructure.

The Baroness was speaking at the NFU’s 2022 Henry Plumb Memorial Lecture this week and in light of the war in Ukraine putting pressure on energy security and global food supply.

She said: “ “I believe that food is part of our critical national security, including the essential workers that grow it and harvest it, the farmers that produce our crops, meat, vegetables, fruit and even wine.

Former Director General of MI5, The Baroness Manningham-Buller LG DCB said home grown food production is integral to our national security, at the NFU’s 2022 Henry Plumb Memorial Lecture.
Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire — Former Director General of MI5, The Baroness Manningham-Buller LG DCB said home grown food production is integral to our national security, at the NFU’s 2022 Henry Plumb Memorial Lecture. Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire

“British farmers are under immense pressure. The doubling of fertiliser prices, soaring energy costs, shortages of seasonal workers and apprehension about trade deals are all impacting the farmers that produce our food and we urgently need policy to address this.

“Unless we pay serious and thorough attention to our food security, we risk being increasingly subject to global shocks. We need to acknowledge that we should produce as much of our own food as possible and to be able to export what we can, both for growth in the UK economy and to help feed the world.”

The Baroness Manningham-Buller was appointed Director General of MI5 in October 2002. She retired from MI5 in 2007.

Former head of MI5 says home grown food is integral to national security at farming lecture