Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on food
security.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs () (Con)
My Lords, in 2021 Defra published the United Kingdom Food
Security Report, which examined the impacts of climate change and
biodiversity loss. We have received the Climate Change
Committee’s latest assessments of climate risks to the UK, which
will inform the third national adaptation programme, due in 2023.
Improving water security and soil health is crucial to food
security and closely linked to the significant action we are
taking to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
(CB)
I thank the Minister very much for his Answer. While the
immediate situation in Ukraine is, as we all know, putting
incredible pressure on the world’s food security and this will
undoubtedly get more acute, we must not be lulled into thinking
that this is the only driving factor. As the Minister said,
droughts, fires, floods, desertification and deforestation are
the drivers and causes of climate change and biodiversity loss,
and indeed of food insecurity. Will the Minister give us a clear
assurance from the Dispatch Box that the Government will not use
any legislation from this Session to reduce the high
environmental standards that have already been set, in the
pursuit of getting more cheap food into the system?
(Con)
The noble Baroness has long experience in this area, and I assure
her that the Government take this area of our responsibilities
really seriously, not just domestically but internationally,
where I believe we are a leader in trying to get the world
community to come together to address global food security risks.
The Pentagon, in a paper it published, called climate change the
“risk escalator”, and it is. It will lead to further pressures on
populations right across the world, and it is an absolute
priority for this Government to help resolve it.
(Con)
My Lords, given the escalation in food prices and the difficulty
in world food supplies, does my noble friend agree that we should
be very careful not to allow policies of rewilding or other
environment-related schemes to diminish our ability to produce
foodstuffs domestically?
(Con)
It is our intention that farmers across these islands will
continue to be incentivised to produce good-quality food. We have
remained remarkably consistent in our food security over the last
two decades, and we want to see that continue and improve.
Through our farming reforms, we are incentivising farmers to
continue to produce good-quality food.
(Lab)
My Lords, I was reassured that the noble Baroness, Lady Boycott,
mentioned world food security; that is absolutely critical. Can I
pursue with the Minister that the Government will not forget that
many of the poorer countries in the world can produce only a very
limited type of food, upon which their own societies depend?
(Con)
It is precisely those people who will be the greatest victims of
climate change. In the short term we are working with the World
Bank to lever the largest ever financial commitment, $170
billion, to support countries faced with economic hardship, both
in the short term as a result of insecurity and the war in
Ukraine and in the long term, working with international bodies
to address these very problems for the most vulnerable people in
our society.
of Hardington Mandeville
(LD)
My Lords, we are a trading nation and always have been. It is
essential to ensure that harmful practices are not offshored, as
environmentally degrading practices are making the biodiversity
crisis we face worse. In turn, this makes growing crops on much
of the planet harder. Can the Minister assure the House that the
new trade Bill will not allow the import of goods produced to
lower standards than ours? In the long run it would be utterly
pointless and self-defeating for us and our allies to do so.
(Con)
The noble Baroness is absolutely right. We have to make sure that
we are not, through our environmental policies, just pushing
carbon emissions and biodiversity practices that we do not allow
here to other countries. We are part of a global community. Our
food supply chains are very complex and we want to manage them
with our international relations and make sure that we are
protecting our environment at home, continuing to produce good
food and playing our part abroad as well.
(Con)
My Lords, will my noble friend join me in paying tribute to our
farmers, not just for putting food on our plates but for creating
and protecting biodiversity? Will he ensure that food security is
embraced as a public good and that tenant farmers will continue
to benefit from farm payments?
(Con)
We want the entire spectrum of British agriculture to benefit
from the changes. We recognise that this is a difficult time for
farming; it would be even if we were not going through the
changes we are with commodity price spikes and the like. We are
working closely with them and the food sector to make sure that
we are supporting our British farmers and that they continue to
produce food at the highest welfare and environmental standards
now and in the future.
(Lab)
Last year’s report from the Committee on Climate Change said:
“Defra still lacks a strategy to ensure the agricultural sector
remains productive as the climate changes.”
It went on to say that the focus of the ELMS reforms was on flood
risk rather than the broader climate impact. Does the Minister
feel that those points have been fully addressed? If so, can he
write to noble Lords and put a letter in the Library giving
details of that? In particular, can he explain how the new
strands of the ELMS programme are now addressing those broader
climate change obligations?
(Con)
I absolutely can commit to a letter that brings noble Lords up to
date with our reforms. It is much more than just flood
protection. It is about producing sustainable food. It is about
soil systems. It is about making sure that farmers are
incentivised to protect the environment and reverse the
catastrophic decline in species. We are living through one of the
riskiest times in terms of biodiversity loss. We want to reverse
that but we are trying to do it in a way that supports farming
systems. I am very happy to keep noble Lords informed of our
progress.
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend mentioned that Ukraine has wheat in
storage but cannot get it out because its ports are being shelled
and blockaded. I am told that the real reason is that no
wheat-carrying ships can get into the Bosphorus or the Black Sea
because they cannot get insured and therefore cannot carry out
such wheat as would be available and is necessary to stop a major
crisis and starvation, particularly in Egypt, Lebanon and places
like that. Will the Minister consider states, including the
United Kingdom, undertaking the insurance that private enterprise
will not provide and without which there will be further great
starvation because of the blockade?
(Con)
My noble friend raises an important issue that I will look into
and contact him about. While this country imports a very small
amount of grain from Ukraine and Russia, we have more in terms of
oils. That is one of the reasons we are working with the World
Bank: to make sure that countries that depend on imports from
Ukraine are supported. I will certainly get back to him on the
other point.
(Lab)
My Lords, the insurance of shipping often depends on its
protection. Does the Minister believe that the fact that we
currently have 12 frigates and will soon have only nine does
anything to help protect the global shipping that is so important
for our country and many nations?
(Con)
I am always amazed by and respectful of the noble Lord’s ability
to get naval matters into almost any Question. He is right that
this is a matter of global security and not just about what
Britain does. It is about what we do with our allies to support
the free movement of goods around the world. There has been huge
investment in the Royal Navy, which I am sure he is really
pleased about, but we want to see that continue.
(GP)
Given that more than 50% of human calories come from just four
crops, with a fast-changing global climate, does the Minister
agree that increasing the diversity of crops is crucial? What are
the Government doing to ensure that we grow a more diverse range
of crops in the UK, particularly more vegetables and fruit?
(Con)
There are enormous opportunities under our new schemes for
farmers to operate in a more entrepreneurial way. They are really
good at seeing new opportunities. With the new technologies which
Defra and the Government are investing in for farmers,
particularly in the fruit and vegetable sector, there are new
possibilities with vertical farming and other means to make sure
that we are disrupting the age-old food supply chains which have
been found to be so vulnerable at this time.
(Lab)
My Lords, in view of the Minister’s reference to the
international dimension, is his department involved in work
towards the COP 15 conference due to be held in China on the
convention of biological diversity and in particular discussion
of the strategic plan and its implementation? What can the
Minister tell the House about the constructive contribution that
I hope the UK will make to that conference?
(Con)
Building on the fact that nature was hard-wired into COP 26, my
noble friend is leading on this to make
sure that these are embedded in the Kunming COP. We recognise
that, as the Dasgupta review said, half the food we eat is
totally dependent on biodiversity. Therefore, this COP could not
come at a more important time and we have to make sure that we
have success at the end of it, as we did with COP 26.
