UK ‘sleepwalking’ into food supply crisis, farmers warn

Egg shortages ‘just the start’, says NFU – warning tomatoes, cucumbers and pears could become scarce

The UK is “sleepwalking” into a major food supply crisis in the months ahead, the country’s union for farmers and growers has warned.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) said current egg shortages “could just be the start” since multiple farming sectors were struggling.

The next food items likely to face shortages would be tomatoes, cucumbers and pears due to them all coming from energy-intensive crops, said the farming union.

NFU president Minette Batters said wider fruit and vegetable supply could be “in trouble” as she urged the government to help producers under severe strain from soaring fuel, fertiliser and feed costs.

“British food is under threat … at a time when global volatility is threatening the stability of the world’s food production, food security and energy security,” Ms Batters told BBC Radio ’s Today programme.

“I fear the country is sleepwalking into further food supply crises, with the future of British fruit and vegetable supplies in trouble,” she said.

The NFU chief added: “Shoppers up and down the country have for decades had a guaranteed supply of high-quality affordable food produced to some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards in the world.”

It comes after multiple supermarket giants introduced a temporary buying limit of eggs per customer as amid the impact of rising costs and avian flu, with “big” turkey shortages expected in the run-up to Christmas.

The British Poultry Council recently told MPs that 1.6 million of the 8.5 million turkeys produced for the festive period had died of bird flu or being culled. Paul Kelly, of Essex-based Kelly Turkeys, said there would be “big, big shortages” of free-range turkeys on the supermarket shelves this December.

The NFU urged Rishi Sunak’s government to declare “exceptional market conditions” and offer emergency financial support to egg producers.

The body also warned that some beef farmers were considering whether to reduce the number of cows they breed, with milk prices set to fall below the cost of production, urging ministers to bring foward legislation aimed at ensuring dairy farmers get a fair price.

The union said there were now 7,000 fewer registered agricultural companies in the UK than in 2019, with many pushed out of business by soaring costs and workforce shortages.

The NFU also called on the government as lifting a cap on seasonal overseas workers to tackle the labour shortages after Brexit, and offering more certainty with a five-year seasonal visa programme.

The union said Covid, the war in Ukraine and Brexit had both played a part in making life more difficult for farmers. Russian had helped pushing up energy costs on already stressed-supply chains, while leaving the EU has led to labour shortages and increased red tape.

The body also criticised the government’s post-Brexit trade deals – arguing that the agreements with Australia and New Zealand have undercut domestic producers by eliminating tariffs on cheap imports.

The union warned ministers that possible deals with Canada and Mexico must give “reciprocal access to overseas markets” for British farmers if tariffs on imports are reduced.

Steve Dresser, the head of Grocery Insight analysists, said rising costs meant the farming sector “has taken a real battering this year”.

He added: “It’s clear that we face real challenges in our supply chain and as a nation, we should be looking to back our farming community, especially as Brexit has made things harder around importing foods.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) insisted that the UK still has a high degree of food security which is “built on supply from diverse sources”, including strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.

The row comes as the rate of food price inflation is expected to reach a peak year-on-year rise of between 17 per cent and 19 per cent in early 2023, the Institute of Grocery Distribution announced on Tuesday.

The latest estimate is up from the institute’s previous forecast of a peak of between 14 per cent and 16 per cent, with many families already forced to cut back or turn to food banks during the cost of living crisis.

It follows research which found that Brexit had cost UK households more than £5.8bn in higher food bills, increasing food inflation by 6 per cent.

Leaving the EU has added an average of £210 to Britons’ food costs over the two years to the end of 2021, according to the Centre for Economic Performance.