REPORT CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO BETTER SUPPORT COUNTRY’S POTATO GROWERS WHILE PUSHING BETTER DIETS ON UK CONSUMERS
THE UK must stop relying on imports and fix diets by doubling the land used to grow potatoes, other vegetables and fruit while backing British, nature-friendly farming, according to environment and farming groups.
In an open letter co-ordinated by the Soil Association, TV presenters and influencers recently joined voices from across the farming, food and environmental sectors to call on the new Prime Minister to back and scale up the UK growing sector.
The signatories included chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anna Jones alongside author Dr Chris van Tulleken and farming influencers like Sinead Fenton. They warn that if the current decline in British fruit and veg continues, the UK will “face further disaster” for supermarket shelves, health and the environment.
The call follows a new report from environment charities the Soil Association, Sustain and The Wildlife Trusts that says action must be taken to boost consumption of local and nature-friendly fruit and veg, like organic.
Campaigners have highlighted the “vulnerability” of UK growers, warning that public health will be further at risk if current trends continue and production declines further.
They say imports account for most of the fruit and nearly half of the veg consumed in the UK, while less than a third of people eat their five a day.
They call for government intervention to back sustainable British growers and for land used for growing in England to double, taking it from around 2% to 4% of farmland. The letter to Keir Starmer points out that more land is currently used to play golf than to produce fruit and veg.
The letter says: “Across the country, growers of all scales are working tirelessly to achieve a simple but vital mission: To nourish people with good food. But the sector faces devasting decline. Nearly half of our growers fear for the survival of their businesses and fruit and veg consumption in the UK is at the lowest level in half a century. Less than a third of us eat our five-a-day.
“What’s more, the produce that does reach us is too often imported from countries that are increasingly impacted by extreme weather. Almost half of our veg and more than 80% of our fruit is imported. This cannot go on. We urgently need more – not less – home-grown fruit and veg, or we face further disaster for supermarket shelves, our health, and the environment.”
The Soil Association is also asking anyone who agrees with the asks of the letter to head to the charity’s website and sign a pledge to say they support homegrown fruit and veg.
The report from Soil Association, Sustain and The Wildlife Trusts calls for a UK horticulture strategy, which was scrapped by the previous UK Government last year, to be revived.
It also calls for the UK GGovernment to invest more into incentives for nature-friendly fruit and veg production, including organic, alongside tailored support for small-scale growers.
Report co-author and Soil Association Lucia Monje-Jelfs said: “British fruit and veg is in crisis. Our diets are costing the NHS billions every year and the countries we import from are being hit by the impacts of climate change. If we scaled up agroecological horticulture like organic, boosting access to healthy and sustainable food across the country, we could help to reverse the public health disaster, slash farming emissions, and restore wildlife.”
Agroecological systems should be prioritised to create a sector reliant on a healthy and resilient ecosystem instead of pesticides and artificial fertilisers, the report states.
Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead on agriculture for The Wildlife Trusts and co-author of the report, said transforming the UK growing sector is vital.
“We need to ensure we can grow more fruit and vegetables everywhere – and do this using sustainable methods that don’t harm the climate, and that work alongside nature using integrated pest management. Growers need to be supported in this period of change and must be treated fairly in the marketplace so that the transition to nature-friendly growing can happen for the long term,” she said.
Will White, report co-author and Sustainable Farming Coordinator at Sustain, added: “The UK stands at a critical juncture in its approach to food production and public health. Our current food system is not only failing our health, with diet-related diseases costing the NHS billions annually, but also leaving our growers vulnerable to unrelenting market pressures and climate impacts. Given this new era of increasing climatic and geopolitical instability, it’s imperative that the new government backs domestic fruit and vegetable production with the robust policies outlined in this report, which include substantial investments in public procurement of homegrown produce, local food hubs, peri-urban farming, and farmer-led research. We must also ensure fairness and flexibility in supply chains to create the level playing field needed for our growers to thrive.”
‘Better markets and fairer deal for growers’
As well as doubling the land used to grow fruit and veg, the environment charities are also calling for action to boost consumption with government intervention to help create markets for British produce.
They call for an overhaul of public procurement so that schools and hospitals must prioritise homegrown fruit and veg from nature-friendly, agroecological systems.
The asks also include government investment in local food hubs which support short supply chains and create accessible markets for smaller growers, including on the edges of towns and cities.
The report calls for better fairness and flexibility in supply chains for growers – most of whom cite supermarket pressure as the reason they fear for their business.
Guy Singh-Watson, founder of organic veg box company, Riverford – which features as a case study in the report alongside G’s and Barley Wood Kitchen Garden – said: “Growing more British fruit and veg is essential for the nation’s health and food security. We’re clear that this can be done in harmony with nature – Riverford has been doing this for 35+ years, we are proof that it can be done. However, farmers need a fair deal in the supply chain so that nature-friendly farming systems like our own can flourish. Agroecological, regenerative and organic practices are significantly under researched, and too many growers are struggling to stay afloat. The bullying behaviour of supermarkets and their suppliers needs to end, we need the return of honesty and decency to our supply chains.
“The new government has a responsibility to spark a shift to a fair farming system where sustainable, British production brings us more of the food that is essential for human and planet health. Overall, a long-term plan is needed to build up more, shorter, and farmer-focused routes to market, which would not only allow British family farmers to make a fair return on their produce, but also allow them to invest in decent jobs for rural communities, protecting our climate and nature, and strengthening our supply of high-quality, homegrown food for generations to come.”
