Six challenges for the future of farming and food
28 November 2006
The independent Food Ethics Council (FEC) today publishes a paper setting out six key challenges for farming policy, ranging from climate change and rising fuel costs to public health and global poverty.[1] As further reforms to Europe's controversial Common Agricultural Policy get under way, the Council wants these crucial issues – some of stickiest on the negotiating table – to get the public airing they need.
The paper was warmly welcomed by Jonathon Porritt, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, in a foreword. It contributes to an on-line forum being run by the Commission on how the UK might achieve a nationally and internationally sustainable food and farming sector. [2]
Sir Don Curry, who chairs the UK Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy Delivery Group, also greeted the paper:[3]
"The FEC have raised some valid questions for discussion and some challenges for us all. The Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food continues to evolve. Any discussion around the important issues raised by this paper can only inform our thinking and I look forward to learning from the ongoing debate."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. From Tuesday 28th November, the paper will be available at www.foodethicscouncil.org/files/SFF_emerging_challenges.pdf. Press copies are available in advance. The Food Ethics Council champions better food and farming through independent research and advice.
2. The Sustainable Development Commission is the Government’s independent watchdog on sustainable development, reporting to the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales. From midday on Tuesday 28th November, anybody can contribute to the Sustainable Development Commission's web-forum at www.sd-commission.org.uk. The full statement from Jonathan Porritt, published as a foreword to the paper, is as follows:
“There has been much progress in recent years towards securing more sustainable food and farming in the UK - not least through the ongoing Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy, CAP reforms, and the Secretary of State’s recent focus on One Planet Farming. And there is now very broad agreement that the fundamental principles on which this progress is based, such as the decoupling of production and subsidy, are sound ones.
“But the journey is by no means over. Practical delivery questions still need answers. For example, to what extent will UK agriculture be expected to deliver public goods such as biodiversity, let alone take up the full land use challenge of climate change and by what means will these be costed and paid for? How exactly can food and farming in the UK help deliver One Planet Living? On some issues, including that of food security, there remains disagreement as to the best way forward, and we believe there is still some very problematic ambivalence in the way the Government talks about the future of farming in the UK.
“New challenges are constantly evolving as understanding develops and circumstances change. We need to be proactive in identifying and addressing these challenges if we are to successfully achieve long-term sustainable food and farming in the UK. In short, there is much discussion still to be had.
“I warmly welcome this Food Ethics Council discussion paper as part of this very important debate.”
3. Sir Don Curry previously chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food, which informed the current Government Strategy on Sustainable Farming and Food. The full statement from Sir Don Curry is as follows:
“In 2001, when we published the Policy Commission report on the future of farming and food in England, we tackled what were then the most pressing issues for the farming and food industries. The Government responded with the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, built largely round the recommendations we made in that report. Many of the actions identified in that strategy have now been completed and the Government published this summer a "Forward Look", setting out progress to date and key themes for the next phase of delivery.
“This is a crucial time for the food and farming industries and the policy landscape is necessarily changing. Issues like climate change and waste management have rightly moved higher up the agenda. The Government published its vision document for the CAP in December 2005 and David Miliband is encouraging us to think about our responsibilities through the lens of One Planet Living: we cannot ignore the wider global picture. We must increasingly focus on the sustainability of production, consumption and global markets.
“I therefore welcome this contribution to the debate from the Food Ethics Council. They have raised some valid questions for discussion and some challenges for us all. The Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food continues to evolve in line with the changing external context. Any discussion around the important issues raised by this paper can only inform our thinking and I look forward to learning from the ongoing debate.”
The independent Food Ethics Council (FEC) today publishes a paper setting out six key challenges for farming policy, ranging from climate change and rising fuel costs to public health and global poverty.[1] As further reforms to Europe's controversial Common Agricultural Policy get under way, the Council wants these crucial issues – some of stickiest on the negotiating table – to get the public airing they need.
The paper was warmly welcomed by Jonathon Porritt, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, in a foreword. It contributes to an on-line forum being run by the Commission on how the UK might achieve a nationally and internationally sustainable food and farming sector. [2]
Sir Don Curry, who chairs the UK Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy Delivery Group, also greeted the paper:[3]
"The FEC have raised some valid questions for discussion and some challenges for us all. The Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food continues to evolve. Any discussion around the important issues raised by this paper can only inform our thinking and I look forward to learning from the ongoing debate."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. From Tuesday 28th November, the paper will be available at www.foodethicscouncil.org/files/SFF_emerging_challenges.pdf. Press copies are available in advance. The Food Ethics Council champions better food and farming through independent research and advice.
2. The Sustainable Development Commission is the Government’s independent watchdog on sustainable development, reporting to the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales. From midday on Tuesday 28th November, anybody can contribute to the Sustainable Development Commission's web-forum at www.sd-commission.org.uk. The full statement from Jonathan Porritt, published as a foreword to the paper, is as follows:
“There has been much progress in recent years towards securing more sustainable food and farming in the UK - not least through the ongoing Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy, CAP reforms, and the Secretary of State’s recent focus on One Planet Farming. And there is now very broad agreement that the fundamental principles on which this progress is based, such as the decoupling of production and subsidy, are sound ones.
“But the journey is by no means over. Practical delivery questions still need answers. For example, to what extent will UK agriculture be expected to deliver public goods such as biodiversity, let alone take up the full land use challenge of climate change and by what means will these be costed and paid for? How exactly can food and farming in the UK help deliver One Planet Living? On some issues, including that of food security, there remains disagreement as to the best way forward, and we believe there is still some very problematic ambivalence in the way the Government talks about the future of farming in the UK.
“New challenges are constantly evolving as understanding develops and circumstances change. We need to be proactive in identifying and addressing these challenges if we are to successfully achieve long-term sustainable food and farming in the UK. In short, there is much discussion still to be had.
“I warmly welcome this Food Ethics Council discussion paper as part of this very important debate.”
3. Sir Don Curry previously chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food, which informed the current Government Strategy on Sustainable Farming and Food. The full statement from Sir Don Curry is as follows:
“In 2001, when we published the Policy Commission report on the future of farming and food in England, we tackled what were then the most pressing issues for the farming and food industries. The Government responded with the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, built largely round the recommendations we made in that report. Many of the actions identified in that strategy have now been completed and the Government published this summer a "Forward Look", setting out progress to date and key themes for the next phase of delivery.
“This is a crucial time for the food and farming industries and the policy landscape is necessarily changing. Issues like climate change and waste management have rightly moved higher up the agenda. The Government published its vision document for the CAP in December 2005 and David Miliband is encouraging us to think about our responsibilities through the lens of One Planet Living: we cannot ignore the wider global picture. We must increasingly focus on the sustainability of production, consumption and global markets.
“I therefore welcome this contribution to the debate from the Food Ethics Council. They have raised some valid questions for discussion and some challenges for us all. The Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food continues to evolve in line with the changing external context. Any discussion around the important issues raised by this paper can only inform our thinking and I look forward to learning from the ongoing debate.”
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