Britain faces farming land shortfall by 2030

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Published on Wednesday, 16 July 2014 13:38

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A new report published by the University of Cambridge has shown that the UK could see significant shortfalls of land to grow food due to the growth in population. The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s paper, ‘The best use of UK agricultural land’, stated that with the population in the UK expected to exceed 71 million by 2030, farming land would be needed for living space.

A spokesperson for CISL said, “If we don’t close the gap then this would undermine our food security, our ability to meet renewable energy targets and/or protecting nature and its services.”

The report noted that the government needed to ensure land use is more efficiently optimised in the future. It was also critical of the lack of strategy in place to do so.

However, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “We are investing £70m in agricultural technologies that will help us to increase the efficiency of food production and help our food, farming and science industries grow economically while meeting the increasing global demand for food.”

Recommendations within the report said that initiatives to optimise land use should include technological advancements. It also said food waste should be tackled, as well as reducing the amount of meat consumed in the UK. The report warned that even with these measures in place it is likely that the UK will become more dependent on imports, which will push the food and drink deficit well beyond the £18.6bn it is currently at.

Andy Richardson, head of corporate communications at Volac, one of the companies involved with the report, said, “I hope the vision proposed in this report is a catalyst for greater action and integrated thinking on land use.

“We should take the opportunity to join up thinking between industry and government by building on this report’s analysis and developing a decision making framework and an action plan.”

Posted on Adjacent Digital Politics website, June 24, 2014

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