Farmers’ chief urges reduced dependence on imported food

At the National Farmers’ Union annual conference, the union’s president, Peter Kendall was expected to warn that in the face of growing demand for food, rich countries should not be sitting back and expecting the rest of the world to feed them.

He was speaking in the wake of a major report for Ministers that warned pressure on food supplies will grow in the face of a rising population and climate change.

The Foresight report published last month said there were major failings in the global food system that damages the environment and leaves one billion people hungry, and without efforts to tackle the problems food prices could soar.

Speaking ahead of the NFU conference, Mr Kendall said: “The Foresight report is another wake-up call.

“Bold actions and difficult decisions will be needed. I’m asking the Government to look at our own growing population’s reliance on supplies from the rest of the world as part of its response to the report.”

He is calling for the Government to put farming in the UK at the top of its agenda – ensuring a food plan is drawn up alongside other White Papers being developed to protect the natural environment.

And while Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has called for an end to export bans for food, which can push up prices, Mr Kendall said he thought that countries trying to protect their own supplies was nothing compared to rich nations allowing their agriculture to decline and expecting others to feed them.

As the Common Agricultural Policy, which delivers subsidies for farmers in Europe, is reviewed, Mr Kendall also said he would be urging the Environment Secretary to focus on fair and functioning markets.

“Simply ending subsidies won’t miraculously make the markets work,” he warned.

“We need to drive competitiveness and manage volatility in the markets first to give UK producers – those working at the sharp end of the food chain – the chance to do what they want to do: stand on their own two feet and make a living.”