Countryside Alliance joins Commons food security summit

The Countryside Alliance was represented at a House of Commons roundtable event on UK food security on Tuesday afternoon. Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Farming, the event brought together sector representatives, NGOs and MPs with the Farming Minister, Mark Spencer MP.

Mr Spencer, from a farming background prior to his election to the House of Commons in 2010, had previously spoken at a Countryside Alliance fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference on the subject of shifting patterns of land use in the age of decarbonisation. This returned as a dominant theme for the meeting, with farmers and APPG member Greg Smith MP highlighting concerns from the sector about large-scale solar projects being set up on formerly productive agricultural land. We added that there were broader implications beyond the ability of single farms to generate revenue, with impacts on tenant farmers threatened with eviction and further pressure on land values, which makes it harder for new entrants to join the sector and begin farming. Mr Spencer responded that the Government was studying the issue of land use closely, but stopped short of promising a formal strategy.

The Minister said he was primarily interested in finding out from farmers about the real-world impacts of policy decisions so those in attendance, plus the food manufacturers that were also represented, naturally were prominent in the discussion. He added that the current Government is serious about listening to farmers and rural areas and he is keen to avoid too much bureaucratic interference. He also made it known he is acutely aware that other government priorities, including the drive towards net zero carbon emissions, can only be sustained as long as there is food on the shelves.

Other areas of challenge to the food production sector that were raised included the importance of food imports to manufacturers capable of processing and potentially re-exporting it, the UK's competitive advantages and disadvantages, working towards an export strategy, achieving a level playing field across the UK, how the sector can better leverage innovation and the importance of certainty on energy costs and the labour supply.

The APPG is expected to continue studying these questions and working with the Government to promote an agri-food sector that can effectively enhance the UK economy while providing security in our food supply. We are grateful to its co-chair, Ben Lake MP, his former colleague Fay Jones MP who recently had to leave the group upon her appointment as a Government Whip, and Andy Richardson from Volac, who chaired the meeting, for inviting the Countryside Alliance to participate.

To support our continued efforts to stand up for rural communities in Parliament and with the Government, please consider joining the Countryside Alliance today.