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UK Food Shortages
23 February 2023
Lead MP
Therese Coffey
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
UkraineBrexitEnergyBusiness & TradeAgriculture & Rural AffairsParliamentary Procedure
Other Contributors: 18
At a Glance
Therese Coffey raised concerns about uk food shortages in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
UkraineBrexitEnergyBusiness & TradeAgriculture & Rural AffairsParliamentary Procedure
Government Statement
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Shadow Comment
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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