Government told to act now to fix food supply chain crisis

A coalition of food and farm businesses has warned that without urgent government intervention the UK’s food supply chain will sink further into crisis.

Chronic labour shortages in abattoirs has already forced pig farmers to cull healthy stock, a severe lack of seasonal workers left fruit and vegetables unpicked earlier this year, and a shortage of lorry drivers has caused further disruption right across the supply chain.

See also: Analysis: How farmers can reverse food self-sufficiency decline

As energy, feed and fertiliser prices soar, pressure is being put on the government to find adequate solutions to the labour issues and improve self-sufficiency to improve future UK food security.

Speaking before a major food security summit in London on Tuesday 14 December, NFU president Minette Batters said ministers had tried to “paper over the cracks with short-term fixes”.

Mrs Batters added: “If we want to avoid this crisis continuing, long-term solutions are urgently needed to ensure a resilient supply chain that enables us to continue supplying everyone at home with fantastic produce, as well as leading on the global stage.

“A start would be a serious commitment from government to, at the very least, maintain Britain’s food production self-sufficiency level at 60% and helping to create an environment for farm and food businesses to thrive and compete in the coming years.”

Other groups taking part in the summit include the Food and Drink Federation, processor ABP, the National Pig Association (NPA), growers Barfoots of Botley, Arla UK and the British Retail Consortium.

Stark warning

In a stark warning, Zoe Davies, NPA chief executive, said there would be no domestic independent pig producers left unless the entire food supply chain and government pulled together to resolve the backlog of pigs on farm.

“Some 60% of the pork eaten in the UK comes from the EU – it would be a travesty to see this figure increase as more healthy UK pigs are culled on farms and their meat wasted,” Dr Davies said.

Bob Carnell, chief executive of ABP UK, said the industry needed to attract and retain more skilled workers, both domestic and foreign.

Andrew Opie, a director at the British Retail Consortium, added: “The government needs a coherent food policy to maintain UK production, including a clear strategy for solving labour shortages throughout the supply chain.

“Food retailers and producers are working hard to adapt to a post-Brexit world, ensuring supply chains can continue to deliver quality and affordable food for everyone.”

Defra secretary George Eustice will address the summit on Tuesday 14 December.