Allister responds to DEFRA pronouncements on future food production
15 August 2009
With DEFRA Secretary of State this week launching a consultation on “safe and sustainable” food into the future, TUV Leader Jim Allister has been commenting on some of the strategic issues.
“DEFRA’s major publications and pronouncements this week on secure and sustainable food going forward to 2050 contains much interesting detail, but for me its most striking feature was the absence of any meaningful focus on securing and maintaining sustainable returns for farmers, the key food producers. Yes, Defra had much to say about climate change challenges, commodity shortages, likely production changes, but was tellingly silent on how an indigenous food supply can be sustained without dependable and adequate income for those who produce the food. This is a vital component for maintaining a sustainable food supply for future generations, but was largely ignored. Adequate farmgate prices are indispensable to maintaining food supply and, therefore, I am disappointed at the dearth of attention given by DEFRA to this critical component.
“A related issue which clearly emerges from the Department’s publication is the acknowledgement that since the mid 90s the level of stock of feed grains globally has deteriorated. This directly causes hikes in feed prices and largely explains the increase in food prices in 2008. It is disappointing that though there has been much talk in the last decade, particularly in the EU, about securing sustainable food supplies at tenable prices, the markets remain so vulnerable to such supply shocks. It is allowing stock levels to fall so low which permits the surge in commodity prices which has so threatened our intensive sector. In this context, the timid acknowledgement by DEFRA that GMOs present production-enhancing opportunities is to be welcomed.
“The opportunity and challenge of the global population rising by 50% by 2050 should make food production the ultimate growth industry, but for us in western Europe to fully play our part and to benefit from meeting that challenge, then we need to prioritise not just the retention but the growth of our farming sector. With focused investment, targeting of growth markets and recognising that adequate returns are a pre-requisite for sustaining production, then the opportunities of the future can be grasped. But this will not be done by the present laissez faire approach of DEFRA. One thing is sure if the UK does not grow its food industry and exploit the opportunities, others certainly will.”
