Former chief ‘spook’ says UK’s national food security is vital

Former Director General of MI5, the Baroness Manningham-Buller, told the NFU’s 2022 Henry Plumb Memorial Lecture that home grown food production should be integral to our national security.

Given current international crises, with conflicts such as the war in Ukraine putting pressure on energy security and global food supply, she said government needed to be consistent in planning for our food supply, as it is a part of the UK’s national infrastructure.

She said: “I believe that food is part of our critical national security, including the essential workers that grow it and harvest it, the farmers that produce our crops, meat, vegetables, fruit and even wine.

“British farmers are under immense pressure. The doubling of fertiliser prices, soaring energy costs, shortages of seasonal workers and apprehension about trade deals are all impacting the farmers that produce our food and we urgently need policy to address this.

“Unless we pay serious and thorough attention to our food security, we risk being increasingly subject to global shocks. We need to acknowledge that we should produce as much of our own food as possible and to be able to export what we can, both for growth in the UK economy and to help feed the world.”

NFU President Minette Batters added: “I was pleased to hear The Baroness say what the NFU has been highlighting for a number of years; that we must take British food security more seriously, particularly in a time when global volatility is threatening the stability of the world’s food production, food security and energy security.

“As British farmers we produce both climatefriendly food and renewable energy and we want to deliver more.

“For this to happen, we need our government to honour the commitments made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to set a target for our nation’s food security, with a statutory duty to report on domestic food levels.”

The Baroness Manningham-Buller was Director General of MI5 from 2002 to 2007.