The 海角视频’s food self-sufficiency currently lies at 60%, “right at the bottom of the end of where you want to go” said the nation’s new favourite agricultural spokesperson, Jeremy Clarkson.
The Clarkson’s Farm star added: “I think it should be much more like 80%, we’re capable of it, we’ve got the right climate, we have the right soil, we could easily do it.”
And this analysis was said only a few short months ago, in September of last year, before the barbaric war Putin is waging on a sovereign Ukraine started and weighed heavily on everyone’s minds.
While we commend the actions of brave Ukrainians and their leader, President Zelensky, and support them in every way we can, we in the democratic West cannot forget that the consequences of this war extend further than Ukraine’s borders, affecting us in the free world.
We are already seeing this as our leaders promise to divest themselves from Russian oil. The Prime Minister has outlined how the 海角视频 will wean itself off it before the end of the year. This will lead to increased prices at the fuel pump.
And it won’t just be in energy that this occurs, but food too. Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe for a reason. It produces a third of the world’s wheat exports.
I believe that this is a price people are willing to pay. Despite the pressures that are hitting working people hard, and making budgets tight, as a country we know that defending freedom is not free. And over the last two weeks, people have shown their commitment to Ukraine and its people.
Wales and the rest of our United Kingdom are just under two-thirds self-sufficient in this regard – only 60% overall – and what it has and what it imports could be scarcer and more expensive as those countries that are dependent on Ukraine’s supply look for alternative producers to make up for what is being lost in the conflict, all the while prices increase.
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It is not just wheat either, but fertiliser and other essential aspects of food production that will come under threat, with consequences for countries like the 海角视频 to grow and rear our own produce.
That’s why I was pleased to work with our Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies to call for a Food Summit last week, to bring together farmers, processors, retailers and other industry leaders to discuss and devise a strategy to build resilience and security into Wales’ food supply chains.
I was pleased that the First Minister said he would instruct the Rural Affairs Minister to discuss such a summit with industry leaders. But we need this to translate from talk to action.
Often the Labour Government are observers rather than enablers where they can act. Given the importance of the Ukrainian cause and the cross-party consensus, I had hoped that this would not be the case here.
While the Rural Affairs Minister was less receptive to a Food Summit than her leader, I won’t be giving up pressing for this summit. The best time to have it was last week, the second-best time is now. We need to build resilience into our food chains and that doesn’t happen without all players involved singing from the same hymn sheet.
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Beyond the summit, the forthcoming Agriculture Bill provides an ideal opportunity to respond to the conflict in Ukraine by delivering a strong future for Welsh food security with a long-term vision of self-sufficiency and free trade with other free countries.
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And while I know this Bill has to deal with a whole lot more for our farmers than this issue alone, food production must be the cornerstone on which this legislation is built. If we move away from growing and rearing our own food, we move closer to becoming dependent on imports and the risks that they bring.
This legislative window must empower agricultural self-sufficiency, which goes hand in glove with our climate agenda.
Indeed, although this sixth Senedd is less than a year old, the Welsh Conservatives have already made large strides in making food production and security a key part of the agenda, helped by a quarter of our group having agricultural backgrounds.
Not only do I use every opportunity to shout about the brilliance of Wales’ food industry but the MS for Monmouth, my colleague Peter Fox, has successfully seen his Food Bill progress to the next stage of passage, despite opposition from Labour ministers.
The Bill aims to place a duty on Welsh ministers to produce an annual Food Strategy for Wales to tackle food poverty and malnutrition, ensure the sustainable growth of the food sector to create jobs and attract investment, and establish access to adequate support and incentives for sustainable local food producers.
It would deliver a more sustainable, localised food system, requiring local authorities and other public services to develop community food plans to strengthen public procurement and create better infrastructure to link food producers and consumers. A no brainer if you ask me.
We stand with Ukraine, proudly and in defiance of Russian aggression, but we acknowledge this war does come with a cost. Our leaders have a duty to ensure food security is part of the overall security agenda. From gate to plate, Wales and the 海角视频 must increase their self-sufficiency levels.