NPA responds to the EFRA Committee inquiry into UK food security

The NPA has highlighted its grave concerns about future food security in the UK to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee.

The Committee has launched an inquiry in response to pressures facing food producers and rising food prices and the NPA has detailed the severe problems facing the pig sector and its potential impact on domestic food security.

The inquiry is looking at the key factors currently affecting the availability of food – such as the continuing impacts of the COVD-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine - and the outlook for food inflation. It will examine whether the Government’s proposals in its recent food strategy paper will affect resilience in the food supply chain, improve access to good quality food, and support farmers, fishers and food producers.

The Committee will also consider if the UK’s current level of food self-sufficiency remains appropriate, and how the Government’s forthcoming land use strategy should strike the right balance between food production and other goals.

NPA Senior Policy Adviser, Charlie Dewhirst, commented: “We very much welcome this inquiry and are pleased to support the EFRA Committee in their work. In the last two years we have witnessed unprecedented supply chain disruption in the pig sector and a catastrophic market failure. The end result is less domestic supply and reduced food security for the UK. We hope the Committee will agree that there is work to be done to put British food production on a more sustainable footing and ensure we are better placed to manage external shocks in the future.”

The Chair of the EFRA Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, said: “Our food producers are facing extremely challenging times – with rising energy and fertiliser prices as well as the war in Ukraine. These pressures are now also being felt by consumers. The government is not responsible for all the problems facing food supply chains but it is essential it does all it can to help manage these pressures as it implements its new food strategy.”

You can read the NPA full response to the inquiry HERE.