Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president John McLenaghan attended the first Farm to Fork summit at 10 Downing Street yesterday (16 May), alongside leaders from the United Kingdom (UK) agri-food industry. Critical discussions took place with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Thérèse Coffey, about food security.
Commenting, Mr McLenaghan said, “Last year the Prime Minister said he would host the first ever UK Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street and for him to follow through on that is encouraging. Representatives from the whole food supply chain came together for the event to discuss food security and the pressing issuing of food inflation.
“It was positive to see that domestic self-sufficiency is on the political agenda for the Prime Minister as we discussed the need to identify further opportunities to boost growth, drive innovation and improve sustainability at all stages of the farm to fork process. There was a strong recognition of the importance of farmers at the summit. Farmers are the engine of our rural economy. They ensure that quality, homegrown produce is available for consumers all across the UK and provide the foundation upon which the whole industry is built upon. This acknowledgement will provide some reassurance for our farmers in Northern Ireland as we move forward.
“It’s now critical that the Prime Minister can deliver on the announcements he made at the Farm to Fork Summit to back British farming. Here in the UK we’re extremely fortunate to have one of the most valuable food markets in the world which makes it a prime target for other nations. We need to be prioritising the amount of quality food we produce for ourselves, not importing lower quality to export higher.
“Maintaining 60% self-sufficiency is good to hear but we have the ability to do so much more while working with nature and reaching climate change goals. With that said, our farmers can’t do it alone. We need government and the supply chain to step up and support us.
“Making the Farm to Fork Summit an annual event would provide the perfect opportunity to gather industry agri-food leaders together to engage directly with the Prime Minister, helping to ensure food security does not become a lesser matter for politicians in the future. Food security impacts everyone and it needs to remain at the top of the political agenda.”
