Cross-party MPs urge government to back British food

MPs from across the political spectrum have united in a call for the government to do more to support and promote British-grown food.

Speaking at campaign group Sustain’s annual conference, Labour, Conservative and Scottish National Party MPs all highlighted opportunities with public procurement and voiced concerns over trade deals.

See also: Sustain launch British food public procurement campaign

Tory MP and chairman of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee Neil Parish said he felt as if he had been “banging his head against a wall” when it came to increasing the public procurement of British food.

“We should be able to get more British food into British hospitals and local authorities,” he told the online conference, pointing to a council in Somerset which had saved 6% on its food bill by ditching imports and buying better quality British food.

Cheap imports

Mr Parish also raised concerns over cheap imports produced under conditions that would be illegal if grown or reared here. In particular, he highlighted Australian livestock production which permits 40-hour journey times and the injurious practice of mulesing sheep to reduce fly-strike.

Meanwhile Labour MP and shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner said his party wanted UK farmers to produce more food, but the government had no plan to do so. 

“The secretary is a free marketeer. There is no plan apart from ‘leave it to the supermarkets; leave it to the buyers,’” Mr Zeichner said.

Without backing British farming with a coherent food strategy, the government would simply export environmental and welfare problems, he said.

“We ought to be able to produce more food ourselves,” Mr Zeichner said. “There is a hidden army of people working in the agricultural sector who don’t have a voice with this government.”

Mr Zeichner pointed to the minimum 5ha limit for support payments under plans for the Environmental Land Management scheme.

These very small units needed support and could efficiently produce substantial amounts of food for local markets or via links to regional hubs, he said.

‘Inaction’

Edinburgh MP Deidre Brock said she was exasperated by the Westminster government’s inaction over a food bill.

Scotland had made strides in securing food supplies and ensuring good food was available to everyone, Ms Brock claimed.

There were also plans north of the border to enshrine this objective under a human rights charter. This would include a commitment to the right to food for everyone in Scotland, Ms Brock said.

In a survey conducted before the Scottish Government’s Good Food Nation bill was introduced in October, 93% believed large businesses could do more to increase food security.

The respondents said that businesses should cut food waste, use seasonal produce, and boost local procurement to improve quality and supply.