UK ‘sleepwalking’ into food supply crisis, farmers warn

The UK is “sleepwalking” into a food supply crisis, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned, calling on the government to step in to help farmers.

NFU president Minette Batters said British food was “under threat” with the future of British fruit and vegetable supplies “in trouble”.

Current egg shortages “could just be the start” since multiple farming sectors were struggling, warned NFU, stating that the next food items likely to face shortages would be tomatoes, cucumbers and pears as they are all energy-intensive crops.

Already high food prices were sure to rise further if products became harder to source, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. 

“British food is under threat … at a time when global volatility is threatening the stability of the world’s food production, food security and energy security,” Batters told BBC Radio ’s Today programme.

“I fear the country is sleepwalking into further food supply crises, with the future of British fruit and vegetable supplies in trouble,” she said.

“We are self-sufficient in eggs – it’s been a massive success story – and we now have 320 million less eggs for the same period this year than last year.” 

NFU urged Rishi Sunak’s government to declare “exceptional market conditions” and offer emergency financial support to egg producers.

The union further added that milk prices were likely to fall below the cost of production, while beef farmers were considering reducing the number of cows they breed. 

Soaring energy and feed costs, Brexit red tape and worker shortages were pointed as the main factors for the crisis. 

The NFU also called on the government as lifting a cap on seasonal overseas workers to tackle the labour shortages after Brexit, and offering more certainty with a five-year seasonal visa programme.

The union said Covid, the war in Ukraine and Brexit had both played a part in making life more difficult for farmers.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) insisted that the UK still has a high degree of food security which is “built on supply from diverse sources”, including strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.

NFU’ warning comes as Kantar’s latest figures show a slight dip in grocery inflation- first time in two years. Market researcher Kantar said grocery inflation in the four weeks to Nov. 27 was 14.6 per cent, down 0.1 percentage points from October’s record high, marking the first fall in 21 months.