Britain would run out of food today
National Farmers' Union launches Back British Farming Day to highlight Britain’s lack of ability to be self-sufficient.
If British people had only consumed British food from 1st January, we would have run out of food today, says the National Farmers' Union (NFU). And it says this should be a wake-up call for the nation, as our current food self-sufficiency capability meets only 62% of demand.
The NFU says that with a projected population of 77 million people living in the UK by the mid-2040s, British farmers could meet only 53% of the nation’s needs if nothing changes in the meantime.
Continued downward trends
Life is becoming harder and harder for farmers, says the NFU. Falling farm gate prices, downward trends in global markets for essentials like milk and the consistent devaluation of food by supermarkets are all contributing to this, it reports.
NFU President Meurig Raymond is calling on retailers, the Government and the British public to put their support in the farmers who they rely on as part of the Back British Farming campaign. “If you want great British food tomorrow, then buy great British food today,” he said.
“In recent weeks we have seen farmers take part in protests which shows the level of desperation felt by some facing severe financial hardship in the current situation,” he continued. “Volatility is being caused by uncertainty in markets which is not helped by retailers playing fast and loose on promotions, a lack of investment across the board and pressure from increased imports.”
A message to retailers
The NFU also released a statement placing retailers in the crosshairs. “Stop devaluing fresh British food like milk purely to get customers through the door” it says.
Farmers have been protesting at supermarkets in recent weeks over the price they are paid for milk. West Midlands farmer Michael Oakes, Vice Chairman of the NFU's National Dairy Board, told the BBC that he was being paid 24p per litre for milk, while the cost of production was 28p per litre.
The NFU statement continues: “The British public has said time and time again that they want British food. Unless farmers’ returns are sustainable, the future of our supply is at risk.”
An international world
These days it would be very easy to say that since the nation can and does import so much food from abroad, the fact that British farmers can’t supply enough to meet British demand is of no great importance.
However, as Mr Raymond’s comments suggest, imports also present competition to the farmers who are trying to make a living in Britain, particularly when they are highly competitive in pricing. This has a direct impact on British farmers' businesses, and if they are less able to produce food as a result, then our self-sufficiency could drop further.
A newly published survey from DEFRA looking at farmers' business intentions in 2013/14 suggested that 54% of crop farmers were intending to make major changes at a business level. And 14% of this group of farmers wanted to do so because their business as a whole would simply not be economically viable unless changes were made.
“Nobody would want a situation where Britain produced less than half the food it needs, we need action now to ensure that the British public – who tell us time and time again that they want to buy British – have that option in the future,” said Mr Raymond.
How can we make a difference?
We can all help to make the most of British produce by checking labels to select British wherever possible, and eating the seasons to make sure more British food is eaten while it's at its best.
Reducing our food waste, too, puts less pressure on producers to supply extra food to replace that which has simply been binned. Love Food Hate Waste estimates that seven million tonnes of food is wasted every year. That is all food, not just British, but the scale of this problem needs tackling. Plan out your week's meals, make the most of leftovers and make good use of your freezer too.
Do you think British farmers need a better deal and better prices for their produce? Are supermarkets unfairly undercutting farmers’ businesses to their own ends? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.
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