Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

UK Food Shortages

23 February 2023 · 18 other contributors

Opened by Therese Coffey Con Constituency

UkraineBrexitAgriculture & Rural Affairs

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Therese Coffey raised concerns about uk food shortages in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • United Kingdom has a resilient food supply chain as seen during the covid-19 response
  • Retailers implemented item limits on certain products due to disruptions in fruit and vegetable supplies from Spain and north Africa
  • In 2021, Spain and Morocco supplied over 1.5 billion and 340 million worth of fruits and vegetables to the UK respectively

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Therese Coffey

The United Kingdom has a resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated during the covid-19 response. Recent disruptions in fruit and vegetable supplies from Spain and north Africa due to seasonal weather have prompted retailers such as Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, and Tesco to apply item limits on certain products. In 2021, imports from Spain amounted to over £1.5 billion-worth of fruits and vegetables, while Morocco contributed £340 million. Home production accounted for around 17% of tomatoes in 2021. The government is closely monitoring the situation and working with industry bodies to understand impacts and mitigation plans. The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries will convene a roundtable with retailers to explore their contractual models and contingency plans. Acknowledging pressures from factors like the Ukraine invasion and avian influenza, the department has taken measures such as cutting tariffs on feed costs and improving compensation schemes. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) continues to review the market through various engagement forums.

Other contributors (18)
  • Jim McMahon Lab Co-op Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

    Question

    Thanking Mr Speaker for granting the urgent question on food security, Jim McMahon criticised the government’s response as detached from reality. He highlighted external factors such as covid-19, Brexit, Ukraine conflict, and energy prices but emphasised the need to address what is within the government's control.

    Minister reply

    Therese Coffey acknowledged the situation but defended the government’s actions, citing support provided like changes in avian influenza compensation. She addressed concerns about greenhouse owners not benefiting from basic payment schemes and highlighted ongoing discussions with retailers for alternative sourcing options to mitigate current pressures.

  • Desmond Swayne Con New Forest West

    Question

    Desmond Swayne humorously questioned whether he could have made a different decision regarding Brexit if informed it would cause frosts in Morocco.

    Minister reply

    Therese Coffey defended the government’s approach, emphasising the integration of environment and agriculture under her portfolio. She highlighted initiatives such as the environmental land management schemes and criticised opposition for undermining these efforts.

  • Patricia Gibson SNP North Ayrshire and Arran

    Question

    The Secretary of State’s response shows that she and her Government refuse to take any responsibility for their own shortcomings. Farmers across the UK have been warning of the risk of food shortages for some time as a result of rising costs and Brexit trade barriers.

    Minister reply

    I do not recognise a lot of what the hon. Lady said about food production. It might be true in Scotland, but that is a devolved matter—she might want to take a look. As I have said, there has been unusual weather in Morocco and south Spain, which has led to a temporary restriction.

  • Selaine Saxby Con North Devon

    Question

    Does my right hon. Friend agree that the supermarkets are still importing far too much produce for us and that we should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers.

    Minister reply

    As ever, my hon. Friend shows that she is a great champion for her constituents by bringing the Taste of Exmoor to Parliament. It is important to make sure that we cherish our specialisms in this country.

  • Clive Efford Lab Eltham

    Question

    I always knew that the Conservatives were a bunch of bean counters, but this is off the scale—our supermarkets have had to impose a form of food rationing.

    Minister reply

    We recognise this particular issue, right now, which is why the Department is already in discussion with retailers. This incident is driven by aspects of the supply chain.

  • Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire

    Question

    May I push her a little further on the question of energy, and urge her to work more closely with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to see whether we can reclassify what is energy intensive industry within our support schemes?

    Minister reply

    I am conscious of what my hon. Friend says. Industrial glasshouses in particular are an emerging industry, not a long-established one.

  • Jamie Stone Lib Dem Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

    Question

    I am concerned that these food shortages will impact on school meals. Should we be looking to give free school meals to far more children in England?

    Minister reply

    Free school meals is a policy for the Department for Education. We want more people to be in good profitable work so that they do not need to rely on free school meals, and that is the intention of the Government going forward.

  • Andrew Bridgen Con North West Leicestershire

    Question

    Does my right hon. Friend agree that retailers have taken the right strategy to avoid panic buying?

    Minister reply

    The hon. Gentleman is knowledgeable in this area, and consumers must be able to buy the products they want to buy.

  • Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East

    Question

    DEFRA had a consultation on public sector food procurement that closed on 4 September, nearly six months ago. I have not heard any Minister mention it since.

    Minister reply

    We set out our commitment to British food in our food strategy and our manifesto. We will act on the response to the consultation.

  • Christopher Chope Con Christchurch

    Question

    Does my right hon. Friend accept that 170,000 tonnes of fresh produce is wasted each year in this country?

    Minister reply

    It is very important that consumers have that choice, but we are also committed to trying to reduce the amount of food waste.

  • Amy Callaghan

    Question

    Despite claims that this is a Europe-wide problem, there are no reported food shortages in France, Germany and other European net food importers.

    Minister reply

    No, it is not.

  • Luke Pollard Lab Co-op Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

    Question

    It is 2023, and there are crops rotting in the fields because there are not enough people to pick them, there are kids going hungry in all our communities and now we have rationing in our supermarkets. What is her plan to properly address the food shortages we face?

    Minister reply

    The hon. Gentleman’s question shows a lack of knowledge about how the food supply system works. There is no significant shortage of people picking vegetables in fields, as he suggests.

  • Barry Sheerman

    Question

    I know the Secretary of State to be a decent woman, but this is a national emergency. Lower-income children and families are struggling to afford basic food such as eggs and milk. Will she take action?

    Minister reply

    The issue is part of a short-term supply chain disruption expected to last two to four weeks. The Government supports domestic food production and measures to reduce inflation.

  • Ben Lake PC Ceredigion Preseli

    Question

    What are the Government going to do to support and incentivise greater domestic production to avoid a repeat of these shortages?

    Minister reply

    The UK has strong trade agreements with the EU, but some shortages are due to weather issues in Morocco and southern Spain. The matter is devolved in Wales.

  • Kirsten Oswald

    Question

    Does she think that adverse weather really only affects Brexit Britain? Does she not see that her continuing to be wedded to the failure of Brexit is one reason why we are seeing less food, a poorer country overall and higher food costs?

    Minister reply

    No, it is not just an issue in Brexit Britain. The problem has affected certain supply chains and supermarkets are acting accordingly.

  • Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath

    Question

    The Secretary of State keeps dismissing the concerns of the farming industry about food shortages, yet supermarkets are restricting food to customers. Does she agree that the Prime Minister should call a Cobra meeting because this is now a national emergency?

    Minister reply

    Farmers are here to feed the country and we support them in transitioning from direct payments to maintaining or increasing domestic food production.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Question

    Can she outline the steps being taken to ensure that paperwork for importation is a smooth system, allowing new suppliers to be found and easily facilitated at this time of shortage and need?

    Minister reply

    We are still working on issues involving the Northern Ireland protocol. We encourage alternative sourcing options while continuing to boost food production as outlined in our food strategy.

Shadow Comment

Jim McMahon

Thanking Mr Speaker for granting an urgent question on food security, Jim McMahon criticised the government's response as detached from reality. He acknowledged external factors like covid-19, Brexit, Ukraine conflict, and energy prices but emphasised the need to address what is within the government’s control. Citing examples such as changes in direct payments that undercut farmers and inadequate support for businesses affected by avian flu, McMahon highlighted a 1 billion reduction in egg production due to the pandemic. He stressed the importance of viewing food security as national security and called for an end to short-term measures and a long-term plan.

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