The National Farmers Union (NFU) has called for increased UK food security following the Spring Statement by chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The chancellor’s statement focused mainly on changes to welfare and defence spending, with no tax commitments mentioned.
Reeves said the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) had cut the UK’s projected economic growth for 2025 from 2% to 1%, but upgraded its projection for the next four years.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the government is relying on its Planning and Infrastructure Bill to support the predicted growth, with its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.
Reeves stated that the OBR had forecasted this bill to contribute to an increase of 0.2% to gross domestic product to 2029/2030, or an additional £6.8bn per year.
The chancellor also announced reforms to cut the costs of running government by 15% and deliver £2bn of savings by 2029/2030. This includes a voluntary redundancy scheme for civil servants.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said he agreed with the chancellor that “our world is changing, and we are facing an increasingly insecure global stage.
“Safeguarding our food security is an essential part of the nation’s ability to remain resilient to international shocks.
“The government’s own manifesto said food security is national security.
“But the policies announced since the election have only delivered blow after blow to farmers and growers’ confidence which is now at an all-time low, with investment plummeting.”
Leading up to the statement, over 50 farming and environmental groups called on the chancellor not to cut funding for Defra in the aftermath of the closure of the sustainable farming incentive (SFI) earlier this month.
The sudden closure of the scheme caused outrage amongst farmers and politicians.
MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart criticised the chancellor for what she said was a failure to use this week’s spring statement “as an opportunity to right the wrongs of her previous actions.”
The Democratic Unionist Party spokesperson for Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs said: “The Prime Minister was quoted as saying, ‘food security is national security’, but in reality his government is on course to devastate family businesses who have been feeding the nation for generations.”
Ulster Unionist Party MP for South Antrim Robin Swann said the chancellor’s statement didn’t reference agriculture or farming at all. He noted that it talked about country security and safety but nothing on food safety.
“This chancellor’s family farm tax will write off a generation of young farmers. What confidence can the chancellor give the agriculture sector?”
In response, the chancellor said that only those with farms worth around £3 million would be paying any extra tax, which received shouts of discontent from the house.
