The UK must stop relying on imports and fix diets by doubling the land used to grow fruit & vegetables and backing British, nature-friendly farming, according to environment and farming groups.
In an open letter to the government, co-ordinated by the Soil Association, celebrities have joined voices from across the farming, food and environmental sectors to call on the new prime minister to back and scale up the UK horticulture sector.
The signatories include chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anna Jones alongside author Dr Chris van Tulleken and farming influencers like Sinead Fenton.
They warn that if the current decline in British fruit & veg continues, there will be “further disaster” on supermarket shelves, for the nation’s health and for the environment.
“Across the country, growers of all scales are working tirelessly to achieve a simple but vital mission: to nourish people with good food,” said the letter. “But the sector faces devastating decline.”
The letter also highlighted the fact that nearly half of growers fear for the survival of their businesses, with fruit & veg consumption at the lowest level in half a century, and less than a third of Brits consuming the recommended 5 a day.
“What’s more, the produce that does reach us is too often imported from countries that are increasingly impacted by extreme weather,” said the letter. “Almost half of our veg and more than 80% of our fruit is imported. This cannot go on.
“We urgently need more – not less – home-grown fruit and veg, or we face further disaster for supermarket shelves, our health, and the environment.”
Read more: UK fruit & veg production declines yet again, Defra data finds
The letter to Keir Starmer has called for government intervention to back sustainable British farmers and growers and for land used for horticulture in England to double from 2% to 4% of farmland. It also highlights that more land is currently used to play golf than to produce fruit & veg.
The letter comes as a new report from the Soil Association, Sustain and The Wildlife Trusts has said action must be taken to boost consumption of local and nature-friendly fruit & veg, like organic and has called for the UK government to put more money into incentives for nature-friendly farming.
The report insisted farmers and growers must be given a fair deal and “put in the driving seat” to deliver sustainable food security and healthy diets.
“British fruit & veg is in crisis,” said report co-author and Soil Association senior policy advisor Lucia Monje-Jeffs. “Our diets are costing the NHS billions every year and the countries we import from are being hit by the impacts of climate change.
“If we scaled up agroecological horticulture like organic, boosting access to healthy and sustainable food across the country, we could help to reverse the public health disaster, slash farming emissions, and restore wildlife,” she added. “The new government must act to support the country’s growers.”
The environmental groups have called for farmers and growers to be supported in the shift from farming on peat, which releases carbon into the atmosphere and causes soil erosion, and for more research into peat farming methods.
Read more: Does Buy British stand a chance? Fresh produce category report 2024
The groups have also called for the overhaul of public procurement so schools and hospitals prioritise homegrown fruit & veg, and have asked for the government to invest in local food hubs to support short supply chains and create accessible markets for smaller growers.
“Given this new era of increasing climatic and geopolitical instability, it’s imperative that the new government backs domestic fruit and vegetable production with the robust policies outlined in this report, which include substantial investments in public procurement of homegrown produce, local food hubs, peri-urban farming, and farmer-led research,” said Will White, report co-author and sustainable farming co-ordinator at Sustain.
The report has also called for better fairness and flexibility in the supply chain as many farmers cite supermarket pressure as a reason they fear for their business.
“Farmers need a fair deal in the supply chain so that nature-friendly farming systems like our own can flourish,” said Guy Singh-Watson, founder of organic veg box company, Riverford. “Agroecological, regenerative and organic practices are significantly under-researched, and too many growers are struggling to stay afloat. The bullying behaviour of supermarkets and their suppliers needs to end, we need the return of honesty and decency to our supply chains.”
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