'Food security is national security' - Save British Farming asks new prime minister to put food security first

In a statement, they say that whoever comes next will inherit a farming sector grappling with the consequences of Brexit, rising costs, policy uncertainty, geopolitical instability and growing pressure from imports.

‘Yet Britain remains one of the few developed countries without a coherent long-term food production strategy,’ says their statement.

‘In an era of climate instability, geopolitical conflict and fragile global supply chains, that is a serious strategic weakness.

‘The proposed SPS agreement with the European Union is a step in the right direction, but it is not a panacea for the challenges facing food producers’.

They add that ‘Britain has already diverged from EU rules in key areas such as chemicals, gene editing and novel foods, while imports

flow into the British market through a complex global network of ports and supply chains’.

‘An SPS agreement can only deliver meaningful benefits if standards remain closely aligned and border controls are sufficiently robust to ensure imported products meet those standards.

‘Achieving that is a far bigger undertaking than many politicians acknowledge,’ it adds.

They say that many organisations across the rural economy are calling for a reset in the relationship between government and rural Britain.

Save British Farming agrees. However, rebuilding trust will require more than warm words.

‘Farmers need a government that recognises food production as a strategic national priority and is prepared to align trade, tax, environmental

and security policy around the goal of increasing domestic food production and resilience.

‘The wider issue is food security. Farmers are being asked to produce more with less support while facing rising costs, increasing geopolitical uncertainty and intensifying competition from imports.

‘Recent events in the Middle East have again exposed the fragility of fertiliser, energy and food supply chains.

‘Food security can no longer be treated as an afterthought. There will also be concern within the sector about any move towards a land value tax.

‘Farming is a low-margin, asset-rich industry.

‘Additional annual taxes on productive agricultural land would inevitably reduce investment, constrain production and place further pressure on both family farms and consumer food prices.

‘At a time when Britain should be strengthening domestic food production, any policy that undermines productive farmland must be approached with extreme caution.

‘Many farmers will also hope that a new administration reconsiders the inheritance tax changes affecting family farms.

‘These proposals have already damaged confidence across the sector and risk discouraging long-term investment in food production,

environmental improvements and succession planning’.

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, said: “Food security is national security.

"In an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world, Britain cannot afford to treat food production as an afterthought.

"Farming is not a special interest sector – it is critical national infrastructure.”

“An SPS agreement may ease some of the symptoms of Brexit, but it cannot fully resolve the structural barriers created by leaving the Single Market and Customs Union.

"If the new Prime Minister is serious about national resilience, they must be honest about the scale of the challenge facing British food production.”

“A genuine reset with rural Britain requires more than a change of Prime Minister. It requires a change of approach. The fastest and most effective way to reduce trade friction, strengthen food security and rebuild resilience is to pursue a path back into the Single Market and Customs Union.”