Robots could be used to pick fruit in food security strategy

Domestic production will be at the heart of Defra’s new food strategy

ROBOTS could pick fruit under plans to stop food shortages, after ministers ordered a review into measures to prevent the impact of the war in Ukraine causing empty shelves.

The food strategy white paper has been rewritten to cut reliance on imports and address gas prices and the effects of climate change on farmers.

They could include automation of farms to guard against labour shortages and investment in “vertical farming”, which would increase efficiency.

George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, said Vladimir Putin’s invasion had raised concerns about the security of Britain’s food supply.

“The turbulence on the market has brought into focus, once again, the importance of a resilient global supply chain,” he said. “Recent events, and the impact of the Covid pandemic, are a reminder that domestic food production matters.”

Although the UK is self-sufficient in wheat, a major Ukrainian export, our manufacturers faced a shortage of sunflower oil after the invasion, prompting a nationwide switch to rapeseed oil.

Gas prices have also inflated the cost of fertiliser, making it more expensive for farmers in the UK to grow fruit and vegetables.

Plans to introduce more automation follow concerns about a post-Brexit shortage of manual labour. Machines could eventually replace human fruitpickers, but current models are too clumsy and bruise soft fruits like strawberries and raspberries.

Ministers are considering more investment in the technology and grants for farmers to buy machinery.

They could also invest in vertical farming, where crops are grown in stacked trays in a temperature-controlled warehouse rather than open fields, as in Japan. There could be more investment in “agri-tech” to make farmers less reliant on traditional fertilisers and bring down production costs.

The strategy, due to be announced in the coming months, is also expected to promote “alternative proteins”, including beans, pulses and lab-grown meat.

The strategy follows an independent review by Henry Dimbleby, a restaurateur and entrepreneur, who warned that “eating habits are destroying the environment” and called for more ecofriendly food production methods.

Ministers have already ruled out Mr Dimbleby’s suggestion of a sugar and salt tax, but are expected to implement other recommendations, including work on biodiversity and improving soil health to increase produce quality.

Mr Eustice stressed that Britain has a “high degree of food security”, producing almost 90 per cent of its own wheat and beef and almost self-sufficiency in poultry, eggs, carrots and swedes.

‘Recent events, and the impact of the pandemic, are a reminder that domestic food production matters’

In recent weeks, we have all been moved by the incredible courage of President Zelensky along with the extraordinary bravery of the Ukrainian army, and, above all, by the fortitude and resilience of the Ukrainian people. Despite the many harrowing events emerging from this conflict, we have also seen the morale-boosting sight of Ukrainian farmers towing away Russian tanks with their tractors, just one of the many symbols of Ukraine’s extraordinary resistance in the face of Russian aggression.

Ukrainian farmers are also demonstrating this resistance in another way. Despite everything, they remain determined to get this year’s crops in the ground, particularly in Western Ukraine. This is good news for the whole world: Ukraine, often nicknamed the bread basket of Europe, is a significant global producer of many agricultural commodities such as wheat and sunflower oil.

The invasion of Ukraine has caused some turbulence in international commodity markets. Agricultural prices have always been strongly correlated to the price of energy, and farmers are facing increased input costs – particularly fertiliser, fuel and feed.

I have already set out measures to support farmers and growers in England ahead of the coming growing season, including introducing a new Sustainable Farming Incentive that will support farmers in improving the health and fertility of their soil, which is essential for sustainable food production. They are not a silver bullet, but they will help. The turbulence on the market has brought into focus, once again, the importance of a resilient global supply chain.

Here in the UK, we have a high degree of food security. We are largely self-sufficient in wheat production, growing 88 per cent of all the wheat that we need here. We are 86 per cent self-sufficient in beef, fully selfsufficient in liquid milk and produce more lamb than we consume. We are close to 100 per cent self-sufficient in poultry, eggs, carrots and swedes.

Our self-sufficiency remains high compared with historical levels. It was running at just 30 per cent in the late 19th century and little more than 40 per cent before the Second World War. If you look at the foods we can produce, then our production to supply ratio today remains healthy at over 75 per cent and has been stable since the turn of the century.

Recent events, and the impact of the Covid pandemic, are a reminder that domestic food production matters.

That is why we will be putting food security at the heart of our food strategy white paper.

The UK food industry is bigger than the automotive and aerospace industries combined, as well as being more evenly dispersed across the country. Food manufacturers create jobs, offer apprenticeships and invest in communities throughout the UK – supported by local producers who provide them with high-quality fruit, veg and meat.

It’s crucial that we do everything we can to support this sector, which is why our new farming schemes in England are helping farmers to improve their profitability and output. That’s why we’ve just increased the Farming Investment Fund from £17million to more than £48million supporting thousands of farmers with grants to invest in new equipment which will boost their productivity.

These new schemes are all about supporting the choices that individual farmers take for their own holdings. They move us on from the old subsidy schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy which did nothing to improve food production or food security. Thanks to the support that this Government is providing, we have every reason to be confident in our ability to produce good quality produce that is enjoyed at home and abroad, and meets our needs whatever the challenges ahead.