MPs accuse Defra of "neglecting food policy"

MPs will today warn the government that it has a "moral obligation" to develop a new food security policy capable of addressing the twin challenge of meeting increased global demand for food while curbing agriculture's contribution to climate change.

The warning forms the centrepiece of a new report from the cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which also accuses Defra of neglecting food policy and failing to provide a clear framework for bolstering food production in the UK.

The report notes that with global demand for food expected to rise 50 per cent by 2030 at the same time as climate change means the agricultural sector must urgently limit its environmental footprint, the UK must move to maximise food production while developing new sustainable farming techniques.

It concludes that while the UK should not aim for self-sufficiency, it should seek to bolster production of those crops that are suited to the UK's climate and calls on Defra to develop a new food strategy to provide the agricultural sector with the policy framework needed to invest in new farming techniques and technologies.

In particular, the committee has called for the government to invest an additional £100m in food and farming research and step up efforts to reform the EU Common Agricultural Policy so farmers are incentivised to embrace sustainable techniques that involve the use of less water and fossil fuels.

Committee chairman Michael Jack MP said that Defra had an obligation to act quickly to develop a more coherent approach to food security. "The long-term securing of the UK's food supplies is a fundamental responsibility of government," he said. "This challenge will not be met unless DEFRA properly safeguards our world-class agricultural science base. A clear plan of action is needed now, not the formation of even more government-run committees."

The report comes just days after The Observer reported that the government is to invest up to £100m in genetically modified research projects in the developing world. The paper said that a new white paper from the government revealed that it was planning to increase research funding for high-tech agriculture projects with a particular focus on the development of drought-resistant GM crops.

The report prompted anger from a number of green groups, who pointed out that the government was planning to fund GM research in developing nations while still blocking proposals to grow GM crops commercially in the UK.