SPEAKING after attending the ‘Farm to Fork’ summit, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street yesterday (16 May), NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy said: “This summit must be viewed by the UK Government as the start of an annual process that recognises the importance of domestic food production and puts robust measures in place to ensure the whole food supply chain, from farm to fork, takes positive steps to address the significant shortfalls that we currently see around the nation’s food security.
“I commend the Prime Minister for ensuring that all those with a stake in delivering sustainable and transparent food supply chains were present – farmers, processors, major retailers, Cabinet Ministers and Secretaries of State – giving this the potential to be a major stepping stone. That momentum must not be lost, and progress must be regularly reviewed.
“The event brought a sharp focus on the importance of domestic production and the need for change. All in the room needed to appreciate that recent events, including empty supermarket shelves, means that food can no longer be produced for prices that are below the cost of production.
“The solution is clear. If you’re looking to secure domestic food production, it starts by supporting the primary producer in the face of rising input costs and volatile output prices, poorly negotiated trade agreements and supply chain inequities.
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“The commitment to a wider, accelerated use of the UK Agriculture Act to deliver fairness and equity in horticultural and egg supply chains, building on the work started on pigs and dairy, is something for us to welcome and pursue.
“The summit also presented an opportunity to raise the huge challenges we continue to face. A commitment that the 45,000 seasonal worker visas available this season could be extended is welcome, but our growers need long term commitment from the UK Government to this scheme to allow them to plan ahead. It also remains hugely disappointing that our farmers and growers will not benefit from the highest levels of relief on energy despite the huge costs now associated with rearing, growing and storing produce. That decision needs to be reversed or farmers and growers will simply cut production to limit losses and our food security will deteriorate, undermining the amount of good work today’s summit achieved.”
