With the conflict in the Middle East being the biggest driver of hunger in the world today, NFU President Tom Bradshaw shone a light on the stark instability of our food system in the session on ‘Whole-of-Nation Response to Resilience’.
The discussion focused on ‘A New Era for Defence: Risk, Deterrence, and a Whole-of-Nation Response’.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent shockwaves through the food supply chain and dramatically drove fertiliser, fuel and energy prices up, and NFU President Tom Bradshaw stressed that now more than ever, building a resilient food system needs to be a priority.
“Food security is the beating heart of our national security.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
Keeping up with changing world
Reflecting on the discussion, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “From the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine, to Brexit, the pandemic and the escalating challenges of climate change and extreme weather, the world as we knew it 20 years ago has been fundamentally transformed, and our approach to food security must keep up.”
‘Just-in-time’ model insufficient
Tom said: “Food security is the beating heart of our national security, yet the longer the UK continues to prioritise a ‘just-in-time’ model over a far more resilient ‘just-in-case’ approach the goal of true food security risks slipping further out of reach.
“British farmers and growers are proud to feed 70 million people every day, but this is no light work. Whether it’s grappling with the weather, restrictive planning policies, pests and diseases or rising input costs, farmers and growers are certainly resilient, but at what cost?”
NFU call for long-term plan
Tom added: “We are calling on the government to implement a long-term plan for farming and food production that reflects the urgent situation we are in.
“From the Chair of the National Preparedness Commission to the former Director of MI5, the view that food security is central to our national security is widely held. While we’ve had warm words from the government ‘that food security is national security’ we haven’t yet got the policy that recognises a resilient food system is the cornerstone of national resilience and they need to start acting now.”
