The UK has a food security problem - and it is getting worse.
Only 48% of the food we eat is produced in the UK and when it comes to fruit & vegetables we grow only 23% of what we eat.
For too long we have relied on other countries to feed us. Climate change, water shortages, and environmental concerns mean this isn't a supply we can depend on.
Here in the UK in recent years we have experienced extremes of weather which is impacting harvests. The 2024 UK harvest, particularly in England, experienced a significant decline, resulting in the second-worst harvest on record. This was primarily due to challenging weather conditions, including a wet autumn and winter, and reduced yields for major crops like wheat and oilseed rape. Production of vegetables and fruit have continued to decline with a 23% decrease in the past 20 years. See the full report: The Future Of Horticulture CPRE.
Globally the problems are worse. We have all seen the extreme heatwaves, wildfires and water shortages impacting areas of Europe. We rely on imports of most of our fruit and vegetable from these areas. The impact of supplying us on these areas cannot be ignored.
Almeria in Spain produces much of our summer veg such as courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and lettuce. This has resulted in the area being covered in plastic polytunnels with huge implications for the local environment, plastic waste, water shortages, and pesticide use. This is the area of Spain which has recently expereinced both extreme flooding and temperatures threatening this continued supply of veg to the UK.
Here in Cornwall we have a traditional industry based mainly on production of brassicas, potatoes and flowers but in recent years there has been a flourishing of market gardens, often using agro-ecological methods of production. These remain constrained in size due to several factors including cost of land, access to capital to start, and pricing pressures. Competing with prices on fruit and vegetables is difficult for local producers when up against the supermarkets and a bag of carrots for 9p.
In the past we used to produce far more in Cornwall, with exports made of a diverse range of fruits, nuts and vegetables to the rest of the UK. Our county has great potential to lead the way in improving UK food security through investing in new methods of production. Opportunities such as using geothermal heating of glasshouses would establish Cornwall as a leader in this industry.
Organisations such as Cornwall Food & Farming Group and Sustainable Food Cornwall are working alongside businesses, farmers, and community organisations to ensure Cornwall has a food strategy for the future that enables us to develop sustainable food production that is good for us all. The recently developed Agri-food strategy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has been developed by the Raising the Bar programme and seeks to set out a vision for the future.
