Land use: Academics call for increased British fruit production

Academics said developed economic countries should not be relying on poorer countries to produce its fruit, with scholars at Berlin's Humboldt University claiming Europe is dependent on 35 million virtual hectares to meet its needs – about twice the UK's agricultural land area.

National Farmers' Union president Peter Kendall said any efforts to reduce the dependence on land overseas will need the public on side as well as politicians.

Mr Kendall said: "We're a developed economic bloc depending on less developed countries to meet our needs, at a time when the food security challenge is at the forefront of national and international debates. I think that's a short-sighted and deeply flawed approach to take.

"How the Government acts on its investment in scientific research and applied technology is crucial to whether the food production challenge will be met."

In a speech at an industry event yesterday, Mr Kendall also spoke about regulation, describing the formation of the new farm regulation task force as encouraging but warning the industry will need to play its part and provide examples of where red tape can be cut.