Food Security Index

[onesiedale]

Well, it looks like government are now going to have a Food Security Index. What could possibly go wrong?
What would you all like to see benchmarked in the forthcoming new target that will be set for the industry?
What metrics will be used to measure it?
Should it include environmental stuff?
What should specifically be left out?
Who really will be doing the measuring?

It looks like HM gov. will hinge a fair bit of policy on this, listening to Rishi on farming today,he is adamant that we will need the support of his (taxpayers) money to continue with our businesses.
Once the metric is in place, it could actually simply act like milk quotas did and shut the door to a whole generation whilst keeping the older generation in place as park keepers.
On the other hand it could give us some cracking goals to get on and produce food at a profit!

mmmm

Thoughts?

 

[soapsud]

And to add to your list, here's another:

If corporate buyers who import food have a government backed remit to supply what the UK population require then that means that democratic free market economics is being surreptitiously corporatised.

We know the UK gov favour Big Agri because that's who their ELMs provides the most incentives for. Which means small and medium farmers aren't getting a look in.

So then we cast our minds back to January last year and the empty supermarket shelves and remember that sellers from Spain and Morroco simply stopped supplying to the UK because of the extra miles and paperwork.

How have the government ensured this wont happen again?

International trade deals are one thing but corporate contracts are something else. So what will it take to keep the UK fed?

More money, that's what!
That means higher food prices.

 

[onesiedale]

International trade deals are one thing but corporate contracts are something else. So what will it take to keep the UK fed?

don't worry, the corporates will take over the feeding of the nation when the index hits a certain point.
They will have everything costed, and under control.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

It seems that Rishi and Minnette have decided between them that farmers don't need an economic return for their work, risk, expertise or investment. That obviously wouldn't do.

 

[spin cycle]

another 'buzzword' like 'sustainability'....give something a name to pretend you're doing something ....then just carry on fekkin stuff up

 

[andybk]

It looks like HM gov. will hinge a fair bit of policy on this, listening to Rishi on farming today,he is adamant that we will need the support of his (taxpayers) money to continue with our businesses.
Once the metric is in place, it could actually simply act like milk quotas did and shut the door to a whole generation whilst keeping the older generation in place as park keepers.
On the other hand it could give us some cracking goals to get on and produce food at a profit!

mmmm

Thoughts?

we will produce the food , just stop the supermarkets selling it for less then COP and selling stuff treated with uk banned chems , all the security you need .
Bring that in they can they tinker around the edges with enviro money .

 

[Muddyroads]

And to add to your list, here's another:

If corporate buyers who import food have a government backed remit to supply what the UK population require then that means that democratic free market economics is being surreptitiously corporatised.

We know the UK gov favour Big Agri because that's who their ELMs provides the most incentives for. Which means small and medium farmers aren't getting a look in.

So then we cast our minds back to January last year and the empty supermarket shelves and remember that sellers from Spain and Morroco simply stopped supplying to the UK because of the extra miles and paperwork.

How have the government ensured this wont happen again?

International trade deals are one thing but corporate contracts are something else. So what will it take to keep the UK fed?

More money, that's what!
That means higher food prices.

It was with the backdrop of those empty shelves that almost exactly a year ago I told Mark Spencer that SFI would result in food shortages, he basically told me I was talking nonsense. Less than a year later he’s telling farmers that they’re taking the mickey by putting too much land into SFI and threatening food security as a result.
I‘m quite sure that there is no plan.

 

[soapsud]

It was with the backdrop of those empty shelves that almost exactly a year ago I told Mark Spencer that SFI would result in food shortages, he basically told me I was talking nonsense. Less than a year later he’s telling farmers that they’re taking the mickey by putting too much land into SFI and threatening food security as a result.
I‘m quite sure that there is no plan.

You're right and have the satisfaction you'll be ok being a veg grower. It's the urbanites who'll riot! And the middle classes who'll emigrate.

Relying on imports can't be militarily enforced. We can't use gunboat diplomacy to feed the nation.