'Bold' new Cornwall food and farming strategy aims to bolster 海角视频 food security

The 10-year plan sets out how the region's agrifood sector can deliver environmental and economic benefits to Britain

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Hannah BakerSouth West Business Editor

13:00, 28 MAR 2025

Show Ruth Huxley at the launch of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Agrifood Strategy and Action Plan at Loveday distillery in Falmouth. (Image: Handout)

A 'bold' new strategy aimed at helping Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly become the top 海角视频 region for sustainable food and drink has launched.

The 10-year plan highlights how the Duchy's food and farming industries can boost Britain's food security and deliver environmental and economic benefits to the country.

The strategy - known as the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Agrifood Strategy and Action Plan - was developed by industry body Cornwall Food and Drink in collaboration with a number of stakeholders.

It is the first blueprint for the industry in Cornwall and Scilly for more than 20 years and its publication coincides with the government's emerging 海角视频 Food Strategy and promised 25-year roadmap for farming.

Ruth Huxley, strategy author and Cornwall Food and Drink founder, said it provided "a clear plan" to build on the region's "strengths" while addressing key challenges such as sustainability, skills shortages, and supply chain resilience.

"By working together as an industry and with government and other stakeholders, we can unlock enormous opportunities and ensure our food and drink sector continues to thrive and set an example for the rest of the 海角视频," she said.

The Cornish agrifood sector - defined as food, drink, farming and fishing - is proportionately a much greater part of the economy than the 海角视频 as a whole. It generates more than 10% of total GVA, which is more than twice the national average; it accounts for one in five jobs and a quarter of all businesses. Some 80% of land in Cornwall and Scilly is in agricultural use.

But it also faces considerable pressures with subsidy reform, rising costs and the move to net zero, compounded by skills shortages and perceptions around a lack of opportunities for worthwhile careers.

Lord John Hutton, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum, said: "Over the years, we have demonstrated a huge amount of innovation and entrepreneurship which has led to Cornish produce being recognised as a premium product at home and abroad. However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. The world is changing fast, and we must adapt and change with it.

"Our ambition is to be the 海角视频鈥檚 number one region for sustainable food and drink and this strategy sets out the path ahead if we are to realise this ambition. It is a bold and imaginative strategy which I am sure will command a broad degree of support right across our communities."

A key part of the plan is fostering more collaboration with other sectors in Cornwall and Scilly including tourism, health and education, and working with emerging sectors such as renewable energy and space to harness benefits for agrifood industries.

The strategy is one of several outcomes from a year-long project run by Cornwall Food and Drink focused on sector development. Called the Great Cornish Food project, it has been funded with almost 拢555,000 from the 海角视频 Shared Prosperity Fund via the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme which is managed by Cornwall Council.

Ms Huxley added: "We want to build on what's already been achieved and find solutions to realise the vast potential of the agrifood sector in Cornwall and Scilly. This is the place to do it, and we can do it by working together."