Tories and Labour criticised following Food Security Report release
18th December 2024
The former Conservative government, as well as current Labour leaders, have been criticised for “neglecting British farmers” following the publication of the UK Food Security Report, which revealed that the proportion of food-secure households declined by two percent in the last few years.
The proportion of food-secure households declined from 92% in the financial year ending 2020, to 90% in 2023.
Lower-income households and those with children or people with disabilities were most acutely affected.
What is more, the report that was published on 11th December has also found that food inflation has spiked to 45-year highs in 2022 and 2023.
Inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages peaked in March 2023 at 19.2%, while overall inflation peaked in October 2022 at 9.6%.
Brexit also resulted in a sharp decline in imports from the EU in 2021, though this has increased slightly since.
READ MORE: Food insecurity on the rise, Defra report finds
Stewards of the countryside
Liberal Democrat Environment and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said that for years, the former Conservative government completely neglected British farmers, who are so vital for our economy, food security and environment.
He added: “These statistics are a stark reminder of just how important farming communities are to the rest of the country as producers of food and the stewards of our countryside.
“The failure of both the Conservative and Labour governments is that their agricultural policy actively disincentivises the production of food. This is as outrageous as it is foolish.
“Liberal Democrats believe that caring for nature and producing food go hand in hand. Yet the other two parties treat them as if we can only have one or the other. Farmers are both food producers and environmentalists, so they know that this approach is wrong, and we agree with them.”
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