THE “shortage of great British broccoli and cauliflowers” occasioned a debate raised within the House of Lords last week by the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith.
His essential concern was “climate degradation” and its impact on the agricultural economy, notably in relation to locally grown vegetables. He wished to “pay tribute to all farmers and people involved in associated industries for his or her exertions, their dedication, their resilience, and the critical services they supply to us all as they produce food. We must not take them without any consideration.”
‘They thrive in wet conditions’
Turning to what he termed “the escalation of threats to climate security”, Bishop Smith described the agricultural industry as a “vast field of opportunity . . . a significant contributor of economic growth, representing a possibility to place the UK on the front and centre of revolutionary, sustainable, and future-thinking policy solutions. Farmers are uniquely placed to unravel a few of the most pressing challenges we face relating to climate change.”
He reminded the Lords of his debate last October on the consequences of flooding on farming (News, 18 October 2024), and the way climate instability all over the place meant that supplies couldn’t necessarily be supplemented by foreign imports. Many of Spain’s crops had been devastated by the floods there, he explained, and, cumulatively, this contributed to rising levels of worldwide food insecurity.
In the UK, “September 2024 saw farmers face collective losses of around £600 million following what emerged as one in all the worst harvests on record.” He emphasised the necessity “for innovation and investment”, and referred to successful examples in his own diocese. “Resilient agriculture is sustainable agriculture.”
Plenty of Conservative peers made points on industry shortages, drainage systems, technology, diets, exports, tariffs, and taxes. Lord Effingham challenged the Government with the recent assertion by the supermarket chain Tesco that “the UK’s future food security is in danger because of the farmers’ tax,” which, with National Insurance hikes, was a “double whammy”, he said, along with extreme weather events.
Responding officially, Lord Leong (Labour) gave the peace of mind that “strengthening food security by supporting our farmers and food producers is a top priority for this Government.” He continued: “Although industry doesn’t see a right away issue with broccoli and cauliflower supply, we are going to proceed to watch this risk closely,” and he underlined the Government’s £5-billion funding pledge to farming over the following two years — “the most important ever investment directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history” — together with “a 25-year farming road map to make the sector more profitable within the a long time to return”.
He spoke of the “shared responsibility” for adapting to climate change through constructing resilience and fostering innovation, and concluded with because of Bishop Smith “for securing this vital debate”.
