A major package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK’s farming and food sector was unveiled at the Farm to Fork Summit hosted by the Prime Minister at Downing Street on 14th May. The Government say that the package will support domestic food production and boost innovation in the sector supporting it to reach its economic potential and recruit the next generation of farming and food leaders.  

It includes a new Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector, setting out how industry and government can work together to increase domestic production and drive investment into this sector which is worth more than £4 billion to the UK economy. 

The plan involves: 

• Ensuring the sector has access to affordable and sustainable energy and water 
• Cutting planning red tape to make it easier and quicker to build glasshouses 
• New investment to boost innovation in the sector, where Defra will look to double to £80 million the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses when compared to the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme. 

The Summit also saw publication of the first draft Food Security Index, setting out key data and trends to allow government and industry to safeguard the UK’s food security. This will allow the monitoring of short-term trends across the UK. 

In addition, the Government has set out how it will provide further support for farmers affected by the wet weather and there will also be £75 million to support internal drainage boards (IDBs) to accelerate recovery from the winter 2023-24 storms. 

The government has also announced further action to ensure fairness across the food supply chain, committing to delivering regulations to improve fairness in the fresh produce and egg sectors. 

You can read more about the package here