(May 14): Rishi Sunak will announce a doubling of government funding for the UK’s fruit and vegetable sector and urge retailers to back British produce to bolster food security.
The funding of £80 million (RM475.42 million) a year will be announced by the prime minister at the second Farm to Fork Summit on Tuesday, according to a government statement. Retailers will also be asked to support the industry further to increase the amount of home-grown fruits and vegetables Britons eat, which lags other agricultural sectors such as meat, dairy and grains.
“This package of support will help farmers produce more British food, delivers on our long-term plan to invest in our rural communities, and ensures the very best of our homegrown products end up on our plates,” Sunak said in the statement released ahead of the summit.
Last week, the UK extended a visa route allowing seasonal workers for Britain’s farms by five years to 2029, giving agri-businesses time to invest in automation and move away from relying on foreign labor.
Further measures set to be announced at the summit include details of the UK’s first food security index and economic support for farmers with waterlogged fields as well as meat, dairy and poultry producers.
Many countries have drawn up food security plans after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shocked commodity markets and pushed up food costs that added to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.
