Farmers are facing a hike in costs as a third of the world’s traded fertiliser chemicals is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route blockaded by Iran
More than 40 Labour MPs in rural and semi-rural areas are demanding better support for farmers amid rising fears about food security due to the Iran war.
Noah Law, a leading Labour MP on a new farming campaign, said urgent action is needed to ensure “you can get food on your plate from local sources” without having to be reliant on imported feed or gas. He admitted there is no “silver bullet” for addressing concerns over food supplies but that investing in domestic production can help in “reducing the level of risk”.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union last week said the price of farmers’ fuel and fertiliser had “doubled overnight” because of the conflict in the Middle East.
Around a third of the world’s traded fertiliser chemicals are transported through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been blockaded by Iran. It has left some farmers questioning whether it is possible to keep running their businesses in the long-term.
READ MORE: First fruit and veg to soar in price ‘in weeks’ named as ‘immediate’ effect of Iran war hits
The Labour Rural Research Group’s (LRRG) spring campaign on farming profitability is demanding reforms to support British farmers and encourage consumers to buy British meat and produce.
Mr Law, who is launching the campaign this weekend, told The Mirror a “light’s been shone on the fact that it’s as important as ever that we strengthen our domestic food production”. The MP for St Austell and Newquay said: “There’s no silver bullet. Investing in domestic production can’t solve all our problems but it certainly helps in reducing the level of risk and exposure to unnecessarily high risk supply chains and energy systems.
“It’s about knowing that you can get food on your plate from local sources without having to be reliant on imported feed or imported gas and oil from overseas to the same degree. Agriculture is very energy intensive.
“It uses a heck of a lot of oil and gas in various different ways and to the extent we can reduce the amount that we depend on that, whether that’s because we’re importing it on ships through the Strait of Hormuz, or because it’s in the fertiliser that we use, or the feed that goes into the animals eat.
“There are so many ways in which the price of oil and gas feeds into the cost of our food and that’s why this (campaign) is timely, because actually a shorter food supply chain, a less energy intensive supply chain can help build resilience against that.”
Mr Law also called for ministers to “level the playing field” for farmers, adding: “We know that supermarkets force farmers to throw away around £1billion of food every year, which is shocking. A lot of the time it’s wonky or undesirable fruit and veg or not up to their specification.”
The LRRG’s campaign demands look to ensure British farmers are receiving a fair deal both domestically and internationally. The MPs said the Tories’ post-Brexit deals came “at a massive cost to farmers”, with the group now calling on the Government to ensure that domestic food standards are applied to imported goods, so British farmers aren’t undercut by cheaper, lower quality and welfare goods from abroad.
They also want the Groceries Code Adjudicator – the body responsible for overseeing deals between supermarkets and farms – to be strengthened and brought into the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs so it can tackle bad supermarket practices and mediate fairer deals for farmers.
The campaign is also calling for vital improvements to the food labelling system as it warns customers face complicated and unclear symbols, as well as misleading claims that food is “Made in Britain” or covered in Union Flags, whilst consisting of majority imported ingredients.
The campaign’s “Honest Labelling” pillar also calls for tiered one to five, colour-coded welfare labels to clearly communicate the conditions animals were reared in.
A Defra spokesman said: “We’re backing our farmers to produce food for the nation, announcing £345 million in grants for new equipment just last month. We’re actively monitoring the Middle East situation so we can respond and support our food and farming sectors.
“We already have high food labelling standards and have stepped up action on supply chain fairness, including continued scrutiny of unfair practices, and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage.”
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