Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their
response to the National Food Strategy.
(CB)
My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my
name on the Order Paper, I declare my various interests in this
field as stated in the register.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs () (Con)
My Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the
register. The forthcoming government food strategy will set out
the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system,
considering the evidence set out in Henry Dimbleby’s independent
review and building on additional topics. We are actively
collaborating across government to cover the entire food system,
to consider the unforeseen challenges that the agri-food sector
has faced in this last year since the independent review was
published. We expect to publish the Government’s food strategy
very shortly.
(CB)
I thank the Minister, but I am disappointed that I did not get an
answer as to the date, since it is now already two weeks since
the agreement. I am glad that the Government agree that the food
system is in urgent need of reform. There are many major risks to
not acting. Our health is worsening, supply chains are fragile,
and the climate and nature commitments cannot be met without more
action on food. The NFS has created a rare moment of consensus
across the board, which should be grasped by the Government. Do
they agree that part of the food strategy White Paper will demand
a commitment from the Government to follow through with a good
food Bill which will set this stuff up as a framework for the
future?
(Con)
The food strategy is an attempt for the first time to draw
together all different aspects of the food system. I am very
admiring of the noble Baroness’s work, not least with the Food
Foundation. I assure her that the Government will take any
measures necessary, legislative or otherwise, to implement this
very well thought-through piece of work. I regret that it was not
published exactly within six months, but it will be published
very shortly.
(Con)
My Lords, I congratulate the Government on their work on the food
strategy, and the noble Baroness and Henry Dimbleby on their
work. Bearing in mind that we might be facing a humanitarian
crisis in Ukraine, will my noble friend update the House on what
measures we are taking to increase our self-sufficiency in food
and our general food security? What measures are the Government
taking to tackle the immediate pig crisis that we face with the
difficulty of manning abattoirs and their slaughterhouses?
(Con)
The Government have gone to great lengths to ensure that the
latter problem has been resolved. As things stand, we have
imported enough people to help with the processing of pigmeat,
although there are still problems. It is too early to assess the
issue concerning Ukraine. Some 75% to 80% of our seasonal workers
come from Ukraine. It is uncertain at this stage whether the
current situation will have any effect on that, but we are
watching it very closely and talking to other countries as
well.
(Lab)
My Lords, will the Minister guarantee that in the context of the
national food strategy, those companies—I am sure he knows which
ones they are—that have sought to manipulate meat and chicken
products in various markets are excluded from trying to do the
same in the United Kingdom’s markets. They have been very heavily
prosecuted in other countries. Nevertheless, will he ensure that
they are not allowed the freedom to exploit, in some cases
illegally, the market opportunities in the United Kingdom?
(Con)
The food strategy sits within the wider intention of the
Government, with cross-party support, to ensure that we have the
most sustainable and highest standards in all areas of food
production. That requires the corporate organisations such as the
ones that the noble Lord recognises to understand that there is
no safe place for them if they break those rules in this part of
the global economy.
(LD)
My Lords, will the Government’s response also include a land use
strategy, which was recommended recently by your Lordships’
Science and Technology Committee, in its report on nature-based
solutions to climate change? Given the increasing pressure on
land use, is it not important to recognise the pressure to grow
more foods and fuels sustainably, and build houses and land for
industry and infrastructure, alongside the need to set aside
certain land for conservation of biodiversity? We need a land use
strategy. Will the Government come forward with one?
(Con)
This is a moment of almost revolutionary change in agriculture,
not only in how we support and incentivise farmers but in how we
produce food. What was so impressive about Henry Dimbleby’s work,
and what will be reflected in the food strategy, is that we are
looking at the entire food system—yes, the impact that our food
production has on the environment but also the effect it has on
people and diet, so the whole food chain.
(Con)
My Lords—
(Lab)
It is this side. The national food strategy recognises that
farmers need greater help to transition to more sustainable land
use. Does the Minister understand the frustration of Minette
Batters, who said at the NFU conference this week that rather
than having a clear plan and vision for sustainable and
productive farming, the Government are “repeatedly running” into
short-term crises in the sector which they could have foreseen
and pre-empted if there had been a proper food strategy backed up
by the proper resources?
(Con)
We are putting enormous resources into supporting farmers,
incentivising them in a different but less prescriptive way than
under the common agricultural policy. We are supporting an
industry-wide attempt to ensure that we are eating better,
healthier, more sustainable food. There will always be problems,
but we have a remarkably resilient food supply system in this
country which has ridden out some very difficult bumps in the
road recently. We are not complacent. We are putting enormous
resources, human and financial, into ensuring that we have a
sustainable, long-term, well thought-through food system in this
country.
(Con)
My Lords, I apologise; I did not realise that it was the
Opposition Front Bench speaking. The national food strategy is a
fantastic piece of work, but it concerns me that the Government
are pressing ahead with a ban on what they pejoratively call
“junk food advertising”, which will damage our public service
broadcasters, before they have published their comprehensive
response to the national food strategy. Will the Minister put
these proposals on hold until he comes forward with what will no
doubt be an excellent and comprehensive strategy?
(Con)
The Government have consulted widely on this and there is
significant evidence that banning junk food advertising at
certain times of the day on certain channels does have an effect
on the younger elements of our society who are partial to junk
food. I respectfully disagree with my noble friend. This is an
opportunity to take a small step as part of a much bigger picture
to protect people from unhealthy diets.
(GP)
My Lords, I chaired the London Food Board, which produced the
first London food strategy. In that, the biggest win for people
and planet was to eat local food. This Government are not
supporting our UK farmers but are buying food, which we can
produce, from half way around the world. How is that helping our
UK farmers?
(Con)
Quite to the contrary, we want people to eat good-quality,
sustainably produced food with high welfare standards. The
intention is to enable farmers to produce that successfully in a
global marketplace. Ultimately, it is the consumer who makes
these choices. We want to ensure that we are giving farmers every
support they need to continue producing the high-quality food
that our consumers benefit from.
(Lab)
My Lords, Dimbleby’s strategy referred to the rising levels of
food allergies, particularly among young children but also among
adults. Given the increasing importance of support needed for
those affected by food allergies, what discussions has the
Minister had, or will he be having, with colleagues in the
Department of Health and Social Care, regarding the establishment
of a national allergy lead?
(Con)
I will write to the noble Baroness with details of that. The food
strategy is a comprehensive piece of work which looks at a lot of
health-related matters. It is across government, and the
Department of Health has been very closely involved in putting it
together. I cannot tell her exactly whether there will be
reference to food allergies in it, but there is certainly a lot
of work going on in government on that subject.
(Con)
My Lords, last week’s “Countryfile”, which has great influence,
was very disturbing. It indicated that we were not giving proper
encouragement to our own sugar beet industry but bringing in cane
sugar from thousands of miles away. This supports what was said
by the splendid noble Baroness, Lady Jones. Is this the case? If
it is, we have got it wrong.
(Con)
It is the Government’s intention to sustain a viable sugar beet
industry. That involves not just farmers producing sugar beet but
the four factories that we have in this country continuing to do
so. If one or more of them were to close, we would be reliant on
sugar produced in less environmentally sustainable ways from much
further away, and my noble friend is entirely right to point out
that it would be at a much higher environmental cost as well.
