'Grow your own' strategy unveiled
BBC News 5 Jan 10;
Plans to boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment have been unveiled.
The government's 20-year food strategy includes making land available for people to grow their own food and more healthy cooking courses.
Minister Hilary Benn said shoppers had led the push for free-range eggs and could do the same for sustainable food.
The Tories said ministers "belatedly" recognised the need for food security after a decade of declining production.
Environment Secretary Mr Benn unveiled the government's Food 2030 plan at the Oxford Farming Conference and said a rising population and climate change meant food could not be taken for granted.
Smaller portions
The document includes proposals for a "healthy food code of conduct" to help people choose what food to buy - ideas include clearer labelling, smaller portions for "energy dense" or high salt foods, reducing fat and sugar in foods and nutrition information on restaurant menus.
The government also wants less food waste, more food bought in season to reduce environmental impact and to encourage people to buy sustainably-farmed food.
It says it will pilot healthy cooking classes for "at risk" families as part of efforts to tackle obesity and will help local landowners and community groups work together to make land available temporarily, to grow food.
It would also look into a community "land bank" to act as a broker between land-holders and community groups who want somewhere to grow food.
Mr Benn said the expansion of fair trade and free-range food illustrated how shoppers could drive trends in food production - and he hoped they could do the same for sustainable, locally-grown products.
"A decade ago, only 16% of eggs produced in the UK were free range. In the last 10 years that's more than doubled to just under 40%. Waitrose, M&S and the Co-op now sell only free range or organic eggs," he said.
"And with the UK 80% self-sufficient in free-range eggs this is a great example of how our farmers have responded to what consumers want, to the benefit of both."
More expensive
Mr Benn told the BBC that 20 years ago British families spent about 20% of their income on food, now it had dropped to "just under 11%" - although families on low incomes still spent about 15-16% on food.
Asked whether it would mean food becoming more expensive, he said everyone was responsible for what they ate and the government was just giving people information to make their own choices.
The National Farmers' Union said the government's plans were a "useful blueprint", but said the government needed to achieve "the right balance" between productivity and sustainability.
NFU president Peter Kendall said: "Farmers and growers are already demonstrating that they can produce more food while impacting less. What we now need are policies that underpin and enhance a productive agriculture sector."
The Conservatives unveiled their own plans for a supermarket ombudsman at the same conference - to settle disputes between retailers and suppliers.
'Rock bottom prices'
Shadow environment spokesman Nick Herbert told the BBC: "We welcome the fact that the government has belatedly recognised the importance of food security, but they presided over a decade of declining British production, and we're importing more and more food from overseas.
He accused them of "turning their back on proposals like honest food labelling, a supermarket ombudsman, animal health measures".
For the Lib Dems, Tim Farron said English farmers had been "badly hit by rock bottom farm gate prices which have slashed incomes" and an independent regulator was needed to deal with "over-powerful supermarkets".
"There's no point in having a strategy for 2030 if farming is dead by 2020," he said.
"It's clear that the government's model for sustainable farming isn't working. What farmers need right now is a fair price for their produce."
Plaid Cymru said they had been campaigning for a supermarket ombudsman, better labelling, more local food and more local land to let people grow food for some time.
The Welsh party's Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd said: "The plans outlined by the London parties show that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
"But I am afraid that today only emphasises how far behind us they are in developing meaningful and sustainable policies to support the industry."
Britain must grow more sustainable food, says Benn
Proposals for national food strategy calls for UK farming 'revolution' in response to climate change and food security
John Vidal and James Meikle, guardian.co.uk 5 Jan 10;
Britain must grow more food, while using less water and reducing emission of greenhouse gases, to respond to the challenge of climate change and growing world populations, the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said yesterday.
"Food security is as important to this country's future wellbeing, and the world's, as energy security. We need to produce more food. We need to do it sustainably. And we need to make sure what we eat safeguards our health," he said.
Launching the government's food strategy for the next 20 years with a speech to the Oxford Farming Conference, he proposed a consumer-led, technological revolution to transform UK farming.
"We know that the consequences of the way we produce and consume our food are unsustainable to our planet and to ourselves," he said. "We know we are at one of those moments in our history where the future of our economy, our environment, and our society will be shaped by the choices we make now."
He said consumers, rather than retailers, should lead by buying "greener" food, wasting less and growing more of their own: "People power can help bring about a revolution in the way food is produced and sold."
Food businesses, supermarkets and manufacturerswould follow consumer demand for food that was local, healthy and had a smaller environmental footprint – just as consumers had pushed the rapid expansion of Fairtrade products and free range eggs in the last decade, Benn said.
The government aims to develop a "meanwhile" lease for landowners and voluntary groups wishing to set up temporary allotments on land awaiting development. One in three people in the UK grows fruit and vegetables, according to a survey commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Ministers believe the move could foster community spirit and skills as well as physical and mental health. The cross-departmental strategy report, Food 2030, also supports farmers' markets to raise consumption of local produce.
But by comparison with the government's own adviser, the Sustainable Development Commission, the report is cautious about changing agriculture, by, for example, reducing the reliance on intensive meat and dairy production.
It acknowledges livestock production is a big contributor to greenhouse emissions but says there is no clear evidence on the carbon footprint of such foods which consumers can use to change their diet. "Not all types of meat have the same impacts, neither do all systems of production," it states; livestock farming could be the only economically productive activity possible in some hilly areas.
Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association said: "Consumers are feeling increasingly confused by the proliferation of diet-related advice doled out by government departments. While it is right we need to eat less meat overall to achieve sustainable food production, red meat, as long as it is from grass-fed livestock, has a critical role to play in minimising carbon emissions. This is because grasslands for grazing represent vitally important carbon stores."
Benn promised £50m for research over the next five years. Much will go to find ways to reduce carbon emissions from soils and rotting waste food, as well as finding ways to grow food with less fertiliser, pesticides and fuel. He did not mention GM foods, even though the government is known to be in favour of making it easier for farmers to grow such crops.
The campaign group Sustain said the report avoided tough issues, such as reducing children's consumption of junk food: "The government's food vision is hardly worthy of the name. The document proposes a series of minor tweaks to our fundamentally unsustainable food system."
Nick Herbert, the shadow environment secretary, told the conference he welcomed "belated" recognition of the importance of increasing food production in Britain. He proposed an ombudsman to rule on disputes between supermarkets and their suppliers. Farmers complain that chains, which control up to 80% of the grocery market, abuse their power.
Ports of call
A review of Britain's ports is to tackle government fears that our vast food imports are too concentrated in a few ports, risking disruption. Although 93% of imported food and drink arrives by sea through nearly 50 ports, much of it comes through just six: London, Dover, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Grimsby and Immingham. Ports are "potentially vulnerable" to storm damage and coastal surges, says the Food 2030 report, and switching in emergencies may not possible if the alternatives do not have the equipment or depth to handle large ships, or are too specialist. Tilbury handles most of our sugar, Liverpool almost all soya, Portsmouth 33% of bananas, and Southampton is the sole port for fresh produce from the Canary Islands.
James Meikle
