Long term decline in the UK’s natural capital is a pressing risk to UK food production
Today, the UK Government has published a new assessment of the threats facing UK Food Security – see UK Food Security Report 2024 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK. The report states that:
“Long term decline in the UK’s natural capital is a pressing risk to UK food production,” and, “Climate change, nature loss and water insecurity pose significant risks to the ability of global food production to meet demand over the longer term.”
This means that the restoration of nature – including natural habitats, ecosystems, rivers, uplands, peatlands soils and much, much more – is critical to feed ourselves in the future.
We know that there should not be a trade-off between growing food and restoring nature. Today’s report is clear that sustainable food production in the UK depends on nature recovery – it needs healthy soils, clean and plentiful water free of pesticides and agricultural pollution and thriving insect populations – because these are the foundations of farming.
Therefore, it is vital that the Government ramps up support for nature-friendly farming. In England, lack of certainty and delays to the availability of new farm schemes are creating problems for farmers and threatening to derail the farming transition to post-Brexit schemes. This week, The Wildlife Trusts joined with other environmental organisations in an open letter to the Environment Secretary calling for greater clarity and urgent action to restore trust in future policy.
Posted On: 11/12/2024
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