Farmer’s criticise plan that warns climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages
Summary
The UK government released a new plan warning that climate change may cause food price increases and shortages. Farmers acknowledge the risks but say the plan does not provide enough long-term funding to address these challenges and support sustainable farming.Key Facts
- The government plan highlights risks to UK food security from climate change, geopolitical problems, environmental damage, and supply chain issues.
- Climate change has already raised food prices, such as a 22% rise in UK potato prices in early 2024 after heavy rain.
- The plan promotes more nature-friendly farming that uses fewer fertilizers and pesticides to improve resilience and protect the environment.
- The National Farmers’ Union president agrees climate change is a serious threat but says the plan lacks sufficient long-term funding.
- The government aims to increase environmental land management (ELM) scheme funding to £2 billion annually by 2029, continuing past plans.
- ELM schemes pay farmers to care for nature and soil instead of just farming area, replacing EU agricultural subsidies after Brexit.
- The government recently added £53 million for farming innovation projects and launched a £30 million fund to help farmer collaborations.
- New, simpler sustainable farming incentive (SFI) scheme applications will open soon to support smaller farms and others currently without access.
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