Climate Change: Support for Farmers

Lord Bishop of St Albans Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[The Lord Bishop of St Albans]

To ask His Majesty’s Government, following reports that the United Kingdom faces shortages of broccoli and cauliflower this spring, what steps they are taking to support farmers and growers to adapt to climate change.

[The Lord Bishop of St Albans]

My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. I thank those Members of your Lordships’ House who have signed up to engage today on what I believe is an important and topical issue. Our debate is about the shortage of great British broccoli and cauliflowers—and, of course, many other vegetables as well—which have been part of our staple diet for years, and the difficulties caused, at least in part, by climate degradation. It is fitting that we have this debate just prior to the start of agri-science week in this Parliament.

Farming is an extremely tough profession at the best of times, and the range of setbacks and difficulties our farmers face is huge. I have to say I am deeply troubled by the low morale and depression that I hear at the moment from farms across my diocese, in all corners of the agricultural world. I want to take a moment here to pay tribute to all farmers and those involved in associated industries for their hard work, their dedication, their resilience and the critical services they provide to us all as they produce food. We must not take them for granted.

There is no doubt that climate change is creating many challenges for farming. No community or country has been immune from the effects of our changing planet, from failed harvests and changing rainfall patterns. As climate security threats escalate, they pose profound challenges to our national security. However, I also want to emphasise the vast field of opportunity that the agricultural industry represents as a major contributor of economic growth, representing an opportunity to put the UK at the front and centre of innovative, sustainable and future-thinking policy solutions. Farmers are uniquely placed to solve some of the most pressing challenges we face when it comes to climate change.

The increase in frequency of extreme weather events and the changing climate cannot go unnoticed. My noble colleagues may recall that I led a debate in the House last October on the impacts of flooding on farming. I see that the Met Office has again instigated yellow warnings for the next few days. In the age of climate change, extreme weather does not just mean more rainfall but could also mean more heatwaves, droughts, storms and even unusually cold weather. Heavy rainfall this past autumn and winter has damaged crops, particularly cauliflower and broccoli, while the mild winter has resulted in some crops arriving earlier than expected. Much of our broccoli would normally be imported from Spain, but the crops there have been devastated by heavy rainfall and flooding, particularly in Valencia and the areas around it, so it is difficult to supplement our supplies with imports from Europe.

September 2024 saw farmers face collective losses of around £600 million following what emerged as one of the worst harvests on record, after staggering levels of rainfall. Climate change threatens the sustainability and profitability of farming businesses, as well as our food security. His Majesty’s Government initiated a strategic defence review and are undertaking a review of national resilience. However, a report published in October 2024 by the University of Exeter, Chatham House and the IPPR highlighted climate change as a glaring blind spot in the UK’s national security strategy, with risks to the food supply chain as a critical concern. These threats have been significantly and consistently underestimated and now feature as major security threats.

Defra’s Food Security report, published last year, highlights the significance of rising food insecurity, precipitated by climate change, among other factors. UK self-sufficiency when it comes to food production has declined since the 1980s and is far lower when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables—somewhere in the region of 53%, much lower than for other crops such as cereals. In addition, food waste represents a significant economic and environmental loss in the UK food system. The report also highlights the degradation of the UK’s natural capital as a key factor threatening our capacity to produce food into the future. Environmental restoration and sustainable, high-quality food production have to go hand in hand.

That brings me to the opportunity that these climate-based challenges pose. The agricultural sector is ripe for innovation and investment. Huge amounts of excellent work are already taking place. This is a vital opportunity that must not be missed. For example, in my diocese in Hertfordshire an organisation called Groundswell, with which some noble Lords will be familiar, is doing brilliant work, providing a forum for stakeholders to learn about regenerative agriculture, including no-till, cover crops and various other methods of improving soil health and thereby reducing the impacts of erosion, pollution and flooding. Some of this farming is at the forefront of world technology; we are making great progress that we should be hugely proud of and celebrate. Resilient agriculture is sustainable agriculture. This is one of the core beliefs of Groundswell, with the evidence showing that nature-friendly farming does not need to oppose profitability with environmental concern. They can be symbiotic.

The APPG on Science and Technology in Agriculture published a report earlier this week highlighting eight key areas for farming innovation that would help towards improving our national food security and meeting the Government’s net-zero targets. I will pick out just one: the use of novel protein sources for animal feed. The development of insect protein as animal feed alone is set to become an $8 to $12 billion global market by 2030. That is an immense economic growth opportunity for the UK to harness and represents a window for us to become a world leader in the science of insect farming. Insect proteins are a very low-carbon alternative to other protein feed sources, thereby contributing to the Government’s net-zero targets and combating some of the negative impacts that farming has at the moment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

If we can overcome regulatory and policy obstacles, ensure that the barriers to innovation and adoption of new technologies do not get in our way and roll out, share, develop and implement best practice across the entire industry, we could be a world leader in sustainable, green agriculture while increasing our food production and improving our self-sufficiency. I do not have time to go into detail on the rest of the policy recommendations in the APPG’s excellent report, but I hope the Minister and relevant officials will read it in detail.

I very much look forward to hearing other noble Lords’ contributions to today’s debate and to hearing from the Minister what the Government’s plan is to ensure that the UK is proactive and innovative in its approach to farming, climate change and food security. We need to work with our farmers, who play such a valuable role, and protect our supplies of cauliflower and broccoli for future generations.