Trade deal will be good for food

UK reliance on Holland and Spain

IT IS a credit to the entire food industry – including the Government – that supermarket shelves have remained so well stocked for the duration of the Covid-19 lockdown.

This did look a forlorn proposition when the nation was gripped by ‘panic buying’ in mid-March. Now the big stores appear to have all the major items in stock at the most times.

But it is also fortuitous that Britain can still freely trade with the European Union until the end of this year as part of the Brexit transition period.

Yet, as a new report, Nature Food, by the University of York makes clear, the UK imports almost half of its food and 84 per cent of its fresh fruit. It is heavily reliant on trading links with Holland and Spain for this.

However, while the study is another reminder that Brexit is a unique opportunity to champion UK farmers and food producers once they are liberated from the control of Brussels, Covid-19 serves to illustrate this country’s dependency on others.

It explains why EU migrants coming to Britain to pick crops appear to be exempt from the quarantine arrangements that the Government appears to be putting in place for new arrivals. Though they won’t say so publicly, Ministers realise why this supply of labour is so important.

Nevertheless, these matters are too important to be left to chance. This report is a reminder about the importance of the country leaving the EU with a meaningful trade deal in place – one which safeguards the imports and exports of food and other goods – rather than hoping for the best, the default position of some Ministers.

As Dr Philip Garnett, one of the report’s co-authors, concluded: “It is clear we need a new strategic plan to reorientate the UK food system to grow more food sustainably in the UK.” And, preferably, sooner rather than later to avoid future food shortages – in good times and bad.