Daniel Zeichner gives evidence to Efra committee

Food security means we stand with farmers because they are crucial to feeding the nation, Defra farming minister Daniel Zeichner told a meeting of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee on Tuesday (1 April).

The minister for food security and rural affairs made his first appearance before the Efra select committee facing MPs’ questions on the future of farming and fairness in the supply chain, as well as addressing questions around the early closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 to new applications.

See also: Farmers share how bombshell SFI closure will affect them

While the minister said he appreciated the industry was having a tough time transitioning, he reiterated that food security was national security and thought the UK was doing well.

“We’re determined to recognise the hugely important role that farmers play in our economy and also our culture.

“We shouldn’t be complacent about food security, given the geopolitical issues, but at the moment we’re doing well enough,” he said.

Asked if the sudden closure of the SFI was undermining food security, Mr Zeichner said while the move wasn’t a government success story, tens of thousands of farmers were benefiting.

“I’m sorry people missed out, but it’s the nature of the scheme.

“We should be pleased that so much land is now managed in a different way,” he said.

Going forward, he said the sector will have to be run in a business-like way, but there is a strong case for environmental support from the taxpayer for environmental goods.

“The government can help with a guaranteed income stream, but the key income for many people will be the goods they produce. Prices have been quite good,” he said.

Despite the closure of the SFI, the minister was confident that food security wasn’t threatened and called for optimism.

“There is a bright future for the sector. We just need people to share our optimism,” added Mr Zeichner.

Responding to concerns about the effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator  and how primary producers were being treated by big supermarkets, the minister said he was confident the regulators had the resources they needed to be successful in their remit.

“There is unhappiness in the agricultural sector about the way they are sometimes treated, but I don’t want to characterise the food system as anything other than overall successful,” he told the committee.