We need a secure supply of British food now and in the future

I support the Back British Farming campaign for a secure and continuous supply of homegrown food.

Recent events across the world show that we cannot always rely on other countries to provide for us. In the last two years alone wars, the aftermath from the global pandemic and the cost of living crisis have all put severe pressure on food production and our supply chains.

I believe that our shops should never be empty of any ingredients that are produced by farmers and growers in Britain.

Our family farms are ideally placed to produce food in the great British countryside, cared for by generations.

But we must not take our farmers and growers for granted. The cost of energy, animal feed and tools to grow food today are at historic highs, putting more farms across the country at risk*. There are already 7,000 less farming businesses in the UK today compared to before the Covid pandemic**. 

* Source NFU
** Source: ONS

I believe the UK Government must have a plan to make sure we always have a secure supply of British food.

These simple steps will go a long way to securing the fundamental principle of a secure supply of British food for everyone in our country:

• To do a stock-take of British food every year to see how well we are doing at producing different food

• To hold an annual food summit at No10 to ensure food security remains high on the political agenda **CAMPAIGN WIN - first summit held at 10 Downing Street in May 2023!**

• To at least maintain the levels of food produced in Britain as shown in the 2022 Government Food Strategy