Over 54,000 people have signed a letter addressed Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary of State George Eustice, to not let Britain’s food production slip below its current level of 60% self-sufficiency.
Eustice and the government are urged to secure the future of Britain’s ability to feed itself and to use Britain’s self-sufficiency measure as a key metric in its report on food security which is due to be published this year.
Behind the letter is the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), whose president Minette Batters said:
“The amount of people who have signed our open letter to George Eustice in such a short space of time should send a very strong signal to government on how highly the British public value quality, sustainably produced British food, and the importance of having a resilient British food and farming sector.
In 1984, the UK’s overall food self-sufficiency was 78%. In 2021, it is 60%. It becomes more and more challenging to be global leaders in climate-friendly food if we allow our own production levels to drop.
“We have seen in recent weeks just how fragile our food supply chains can be – particularly highlighted by the ongoing workforce shortages experienced by certain sectors of the economy, including the food and farming sectors in picking, packing, processing and distributing food.
“This year, for the first time, government has to report on Britain’s food security as part of the new Agriculture Act. We want ministers across Whitehall to have a greater ambition in promoting British food at home and abroad to aid Britain’s food security.
“Through this open letter to George Eustice, farmers and the public alike are calling on government to take immediate action and commit to not allowing our self-sufficiency levels to fall any further and take every opportunity to increase them.”
