Food security threatened by lack of government support, report warns

The government’s failure to meaningfully address the climate and nature crises and support farmers risks the UK being unable to produce enough of its own food, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

The IPPR’s study, Reaping the rewards: Cultivating a fair transition to farming (PDF), examines the effects of climate change and environmental pressures on farmers, along with the wider challenges faced by the farming community.

See also: Farming needs £4.4bn a year, not £3.5bn, say green lobby groups

For the study, the think tank convened community panels in Somerset, Cumbria and Kent, and asked: “How should farming change to address the climate crisis and restore nature in a way that is fair to farmers, farmworkers and the public.”

The think tank analysed the responses and developed nine key guiding principles for a fair transition. These include: doing more to promote local food, connecting people with where their food comes from, raising interest in the industry, and offering more support for people who want to farm.

The report concludes that a “significant shift” is needed to ensure the UK’s food security, with “robust intervention” by the government, including to support farmers in the transition to ensure the UK’s food security and also meet net-zero targets.

The think tank’s analysis says this must involve:

• Providing £2.4bn a year for the next decade for farm support in England to help farmers deliver better carbon and wildlife outcomes
• Strengthening trade deals so that food imports are produced to the same standards as domestic produce – including environmental safeguards, animal welfare and food safety standards, and workers’ rights
• Creating food partnerships in local areas to increase the market for nutritious, nature and climate-friendly food.

Lesley Rankin, co-author of the report and researcher at IPPR, said:  “The evidence is crystal clear: protecting our planet, boosting farmers’ livelihoods and food security go hand-in-hand. Now it’s on the government to act to put us on a path that provides a better life for us all.” 

A UK government spokesperson said: “We are committed to backing our farmers so we can grow our economy, protect nature and deliver the food security that is needed.

“We have embarked on our next steps to deliver this, by committing to maintain the £2.4bn annual farming budget and investing in productivity and innovation on farms.

“Together this action will move us away from ineffective EU policies and instead support British farmers to take actions that help produce food sustainably.

“We have also always been clear that we will not compromise the UK’s high food safety and animal welfare standards in trade negotiations so as to protect British farmers and native food production.”