Panic buying aside, our supermarket shelves are usually full. While supply in the UK appears unaffected so far, some more specialist types of tea and coffee may start becoming harder to find in the months ahead. In particular, the UK is reliant on the Dover Strait maritime route and ferry services between Dover and Calais. Tim Lang likes to take the long view. Africa hadn’t, at least so far, been hit as hard as many feared. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. Coronavirus: Food supply chains 'need a rethink' By Caroline Evans BBC News. The Government has already confirmed that those who have been furloughed from their jobs due to the coronavirus and who are contractually allowed to work for another employer can take on this seasonal work while continuing to receive 80% of their salary from the government and we encourage as many people as possible to sign up. He’s at pains to acknowledge that he is not the first person to raise these issues. It’s detailed and includes the introduction of a food resilience and sustainability act, complete with legally binding targets. While panic-buying wasn’t quite as widespread or extreme as you might have presumed, the fact that nearly everyone bought a little bit more than usual put supermarkets’ ‘just-in-time’ supply chains under huge strain. 3 May. For British consumers of lettuce, transport costs also mean prices could rise. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling for major improvements to regional infrastructure to boost productivity and help England’s regions improve links with international markets. Other factors, such as oil prices dropping at the moment, may balance out increases elsewhere in the chain. We have a default position of assuming someone else will feed us.”. He came across a book called Our Food Problem and Its Relation to Our National Defences, published in 1939. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the vulnerability of our supply chains – and in the longer term, it’s likely to increase pressure on companies and governments to strengthen them. Meanwhile, supplies of tea have been similarly affected due to lockdowns in Kenya and India. While UK supermarket shoppers haven’t seen any significant rises yet, it’s possible that prices could fluctuate in the coming months. It’s not just about availability of products, but also other factors – weather, harvest and extra costs in supply chain associated with different routes. DPD UK turnover passes £1bn mark but profits slip, Major improvements to regional infrastructure vital, says CBI, More details emerge on Cartwright collapse, LoCITY Fuels in Action helps freight operators understand market for alternative fuels, Shell opens second hydrogen fuel pump, but remains focused on full ‘mosaic’ of alternative fuels, Electric vehicle uptake would improve with better distributor and operator collaboration. To order a copy for £21, go to guardianbookshop.com, Available for everyone, funded by readers. What’s Lang’s solution? The Guardian – food supply chain. The authors of the study warn the UK's lack of diversity in sourcing of products remains a point of "acute vulnerability.". "The UK Government in partnership with the food industry must rethink this reliance on such a vulnerable food system in the COVID-19 recovery period.

head of consumer protection and food policy, says: ‘This crisis reinforces the importance of building a resilient, sustainable food system that meets consumers’ expectations. Your friend's email. And experts have warned increased food fraud is a risk if prices for staple products rise and under-pressure retailers look to make fast decisions on new suppliers. Most importantly, it is "dangerously dependent" on the Netherlands and Spain for the majority of its fresh vegetable imports. Food supply chain review Published 26 June 2013 ... To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Operators could be allowed longer semi-trailers after successful trial, Prometeon lands contract extension as Mitchell & Webber’s fleet tyre partner, List of most-struck bridges revealed as Network Rail calls for HGV drivers to take more care, Palletforce pledges long-term support to food aid charities, Hermes takes on space at Panattoni Park in Nottingham as online shopping boom continues to drive growth. This ultra-lean system keeps prices low, but is vulnerable to systemic shocks. Coronavirus pandemic; image copyright Getty Images. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) did tell us that the majority of roles for the early part of the harvest season had been filled, but questions remain over who will pick later in the year. This has led to a so-called ‘carcass imbalance’ for UK beef farmers, meaning the demand for the mix of cuts is out of proportion with the animal’s carcass. Then there’s the nature of the work itself: it’s hard physical labour, the hours are long and the pay relatively low (around £9-£11 an hour). What do they mean when they say something is so many light years away. It might be easier to get hold of baked beans and flour now, but the disruption isn’t over. Labour is a huge concern for UK fruit and vegetable farmers right now. It also proposes the creation of no fewer than nine bodies or institutions, including a royal commission to map a new set of “multi-criteria principles for the UK food system”, a food resilience and sustainability council and a network of urban and rural food and farming colleges. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. It said the £8.7bn trade in meat products, which keeps the just-in-time food supply chain moving, was about to “run into a huge However, despite tens of thousands of people expressing an interest in roles, the number actually taking up an offer by the end of April was low. Internationally, the situation is even more finely balanced, with volatility also caused by border closures, port quarantines, travel restrictions and trade embargoes. Lockdowns in Brazil, Colombia and Peru mean coffee farmers are dealing with reduced worker numbers and transport disruption. Tim Lang, the UK’s leading expert on food policy, says we already faced a challenge unmatched since the war. Workers being off sick or self-isolating can slow production – some factories are opening seven days a week to compensate – while social distancing is affecting the way that factories and even transport operates, with lorry drivers unable to share cabs. And things just got worse… They need double that. Might the coronavirus crisis help with the re-engineering of our food supply chain? Click here to sign in with Hence, a sensible joined-up farming and trade policy that is evidence-based is required. ‘Which? With coffee shops and restaurants closed across the world, the market for roasted coffee has been affected.
With the virus rolling across the world at different speeds there are a lot of unknowns. Lang is polite about the classic British choice of a non-expert generalist to lead the review, but he does say that he’s concerned that, like Beveridge, Dimbleby’s review will be ignored when it’s eventually published. The crisis in food supplies caused by the pandemic came as the agriculture bill, the biggest change to British agriculture and food production since 1945, was reaching its final stages in the House of Commons.

“There is a mismatch between human need, the food system and its outcomes.”, At the heart of this crisis is a British willingness to let a small number of corporations dominate food retailing: just eight companies control 90% of our food supply. In fact, some growers have already chartered flights of seasonal workers from the EU to ensure their crops are harvested.". Thank you for taking your time to send in your valued opinion to Science X editors. The UK imports almost half of its food and 84% of its fresh fruit, and is heavily reliant on EU countries for vegetables and salads. Brexit has shone a spotlight on that fragility.” I ask where he thinks this dysfunctional system has come from. But these could be offset by the fuel price drop.’. Around 70,000 seasonal pickers are needed, 99% of whom would usually be migrant workers from the EU, but only around a third have arrived. There is widespread coverage this morning on the opportunities for students and furloughed workers to apply for seasonal farm work, following a video address from the Prince of Wales and op-ed in the Sun from the Environment Secretary. How the UK can grow more of its own food sustainably should be considered whilst also maintaining good trade relations with our EU partners. Just last week, Marmite said its supplies have been hit by a lack of yeast, while soy sauce is in short supply due to a shortage of bottles, and 30 food and drink bodies have warned that COVID-19 has laid bare ‘inherent weaknesses’ in the resilience of the UK food supply chain. And that 50% self-sufficiency should be nearer 80%. The prioritisation of price has hollowed out UK agriculture, so that primary producers get the smallest slice of the cake.

The problems some vulnerable people are finding getting basic food supplies is an immediate example of where this causes problems.

and Terms of Use. “We just need to re-engineer how capitalism works for us.”. He first became interested in the subject in the 1970s when, having just completed his social psychology PhD, he started farming in Wales.

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