The Government’s much-delayed Food Strategy has been met with a mixed reception on its eventual release. The White Paper responds to the recommendations made by Henry Dimbleby in his independent review of the food sector (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-food-strategy-for-england). Not all of Mr Dimbleby’s recommendations have been accepted. Notably, more contentious proposals such as a salt and sugar tax, expansion of free school meals, and a 30% target to reduce meat consumption have been shelved. Henry Dimbleby himself has commented – “It’s not a strategy.” “It doesn’t set out a clear vision as to why we have the problems we have now and it doesn’t set out what needs to be done.”
The Strategy mainly relates to England, as food policy is devolved. It has three broad objectives. These are to deliver;
- a prosperous agri-food and seafood sector that ensures a secure food supply in an unpredictable world and contributes to the levelling up agenda through good quality jobs around the country
- a sustainable, nature positive, affordable food system that provides choice and access to high quality products that support healthier and home-grown diets for all
- trade that provides export opportunities and consumer choice through imports, without compromising our regulatory standards for food, whether produced domestically or imported
Each is looked at in turn below, with some of the key policy measures highlighted.
Secure Food Supply
The report highlights that the UK produces around three-quarters of the indigenous food (i.e. that which can be grown in the UK) which is consumed here. The Strategy commits to ‘broadly maintain the current level of food we produce domestically’. This rather vague assertion is not backed-up by any specific policy action, although there is to be a focus on boosting the horticulture and seafood sectors (see below). Other policies under this heading include;
- there is a restatement that the Agricultural Transition, including ELMs and productivity measures will deliver sufficient production whilst also meeting environmental goals. Effectively, nothing in the Food Strategy changes the direction of English farm policy – there is no turn away from environmental polices which some believed the current global food crisis warrants
- buried within the Strategy is the phrase that ELM funding will be ‘responsive to farmer demand’. This is widely taken to mean that the funding split between the three parts of ELM will no longer be broadly equal, with more being channeled via the SFI (largely at the expense of Landscape Recovery)
- next year, the Government intends to publish a Land Use Framework for England, setting out how land can be best used to meet the many policy pressures it faces
- there will be funding for farming innovation programmes. Also, the AHDB will be tasked with setting up a ‘What Works Centre’ to share best practice across the farming industry.
- skills in farming will be boosted by the formal launch in 2023 of the new Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH)
- the Strategy would like to see a boost in what it calls ‘industrial horticulture’ – large-scale glasshouses. To this end it will be considered alongside other manufacturing sectors in decisions on industrial energy policy. The Planning process will also be reviewed to support new developments and there will be incentives to use surplus heat and CO2
- any growth in horticulture will be dependent on having adequate labour. In the short-term, it has been announced that the extra 10,000 places (on top of the basic 30,000) under the Seasonal Workers Scheme will be made available for 2022. There will be a review of the way the Shortage Occupation List works under the visa regime by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). However, the Strategy states that ‘the [food] sector cannot sustainably rely on migrant labour’ – an independent review will shortly be commissioned to look at labour shortages in the food supply chain.
Healthier Food System
It is probably in this area that Mr Dimbleby will be the most disappointed. He devoted a large amount of his independent report to the causes of poor diet, the effects on individuals and society, and what should be done about it. The Government has largely avoided any hard (i.e. potentially unpopular) decisions. Some of the key measures include;
- over the next three years there will be a series of randomised control trials of interventions in the food system to encourage and enable healthier and more sustainable diets for all. This programme aims to build a suite of evidence-based and value for money interventions that can be developed into full scale policy
- schools will be targeted to both provide healthier meals and also teach children about better food choices
- a Food Data Transparency Partnership will be set up to help people make informed choices about their food. This will firstly involve the development metrics to objectively measure the health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare impacts of food. Food companies will then have to report against these
- public procurement of food will be amended with an aspiration that 50% of ‘Government’ food expenditure is on food produced locally or to higher environmental production standards
Food Trade
The Government states that open markets are the best way to mitigate food shortages on a global scale.
The Strategy aims to maximise the export opportunities for the food and drink sector now that the UK is free to negotiate its own trade policy. Ten agri-food attachés will be appointed across the world to support UK food and drink exporters.
The Strategy restates the Government’s commitment to protecting the environment, animal welfare and food standards in any Free Trade Agreements. It will shortly be publishing a statement on an animal health and production regime – this will set out the requirements for those wishing to access the UK market.
The full Strategy can be found at – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-food-strategy/government-food-strategy
