While the government’s new “good food cycle” has been widely welcomed as a positive step towards shaping the UK’s food strategy, the minister must follow clear, coordinated, practical policies to ensure actual outcomes.
The Good Food Cycle, released this week, sets out the results of 10 priorities designed to bring about “generational change” in the relationship with country’s food.
It aims to build a more resilient food supply chain and was developed in collaboration with the government department, the Food Strategy Advisory Committee, charities, businesses and civic advisory committees.
Among the framework’s goals is to create a food environment that encourages healthy and sustainable choices. Improved access to affordable food. And the sector is growing through investments in innovation, productivity and more transparent supply chains.
Other achievements include attracting skilled talent to all local industries, ensuring food production is environmentally sustainable with high animal welfare standards, supporting sustainable trade, expanding exports, and boosting domestic production for a safer food supply.
The strategy also promises supply chain disruption, greater connections between people and local food systems, and improved preparations for wider recognition and celebration of the UK food culture.
The NFU acknowledged the ambitions and intentions behind the strategy, but emphasized that meaningful progress depends on well-developed policy initiatives across the government.
In particular, the union praised its emphasis on innovation, supply chain equity, trade expansion and resilience to shocks.
However, progress stalled without more detailed plans for implementation, adding that much of the strategy’s success will depend on existing frameworks, such as the Land Use Framework and the 25-year Agricultural Roadmap.
After the release of the strategy, the NFU is calling for equal prominence in food production, along with climate and environmental priorities.
Critical, it flagged its failure to recognize agriculture as a business that must be economically viable to achieve its environmental and social goals.
“Food systems are complex… We welcome positive things in our strategies for investing in productivity and risk and shock resilience,” said NFU President Tom Bradshaw.
However, he added: “As evidenced by this food strategy, farms are commercial businesses and that they have to be profitable to succeed, there is a lack of combined thinking.
“This poses a real risk to UK agriculture’s ability to carry out food, the environment and economic growth.”
He also expressed concern about the current state of the sector. “The key issue in this sector is that farm business trust is at the lowest ever.
“Long-term strategies are important, but the development of the policies behind it needs to move at a pace to provide much needed certainty in the short term and restore farmer confidence.”
Mr Bradshaw concluded by urging the government to recognize the full economic and strategic value of British agriculture.
“We need to recognize everyone in the government that a resilient food system is not just an ambition, it’s a need, and that a prosperous, profitable agricultural industry is important to provide this.”
