The UK government has warned that the climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages in its new plan for British farming. The plan, published on Wednesday, outlines the government's long-term vision for farming but has drawn criticism from farmers for failing to allocate sufficient funding to address threats to food security.
Government Warning on Food Security
The government warns that geopolitical instability, the climate crisis, environmental degradation, and supply chain disruptions are affecting the UK’s food security. These factors could increase the risk of “severe food price shocks” and, in some “extreme situations, lead to reduced availability of certain foods.” The climate crisis is already impacting food prices; for example, potato prices rose by 22% in the UK during January and February 2024 after heavy rain the previous year.
Proposed Solutions: Sustainable Farming
The plan advocates a shift away from fertilisers and pesticides toward more sustainable farming systems. “Nature-friendly farming systems can sustain or enhance production while strengthening resilience and reducing input dependency. Too often, the debate around farming and the environment is framed as a trade-off, with food production on one side and nature recovery on the other. But the most resilient farms are profitable precisely because they work with the environment, not against it,” the report states.
Farmers' Criticism
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union, acknowledged the risk the climate crisis poses to farming and noted that “record temperatures” show what the sector is up against. However, he criticised the plan for failing to allocate long-term funding to deal with climate breakdown. The plan states that the budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes will increase to up to £2bn a year by 2029, an increase first announced last summer. ELM schemes replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) after Brexit, paying farmers for environmental public goods rather than land ownership. “The Treasury is conspicuously absent in this plan. Instead, it tips the balance of risk even more on to the shoulders of farmers,” Bradshaw said.
Additional Funding and Schemes
On Wednesday, the government allocated an additional £53m to the Farming Innovation Programme, focusing on robotics, soil health, and water management. It also launched a new £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund to support groups of farmers in growing their businesses and sharing best practices. Last March, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) suddenly closed applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ELM scheme, causing outrage among farmers. The new plan says applications for a “simpler, fairer” SFI scheme will open this month for small farms and those without an agreement, and in September for all eligible farms.
Reactions from Farming Networks
Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said it is “a great relief that the plan recognises the interconnectedness of farming, food production, climate and nature.” However, he stressed that the government needs to support implementation by “backing England’s farmers with the right investment, schemes, and market conditions so our landscapes can deliver for food production, nature recovery, climate resilience and economic growth.” He added, “The current soaring temperatures show the stark choice we face. With the right support and investment, farming systems built on healthy soils, clean water and living ecosystems can deliver a range of produce and outcomes while restoring nature and helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Delay and inaction, on the other hand, would be disastrous.”
Government Response
Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said the plan marks a “shift away from only looking to the next harvest and towards a plan that gives farmers the long-term clarity they need to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come.”
