Britain cannot defend itself if it cannot feed itself

           

Labour is gambling with our food security and farmers’ futures

Speaking in the House of Lords this week, I warned that food security must be treated as a matter of national security. At a time when international instability is driving up the cost of producing food, the United Kingdom cannot afford to take its farmers for granted. Yet the Government continues to impose uncertainty on an industry whose survival is essential to our national resilience.

The latest figures supplied by the Ulster Farmers’ Union should be a wake-up call for ministers. In Northern Ireland, fertiliser prices were at least 25.9 per cent higher in June 2026 than a year earlier, while energy costs had risen by 20 per cent. At the same time, the agricultural output price index had fallen by 4.3 per cent. Farmers are being asked to pay considerably more to produce food while receiving less for what they sell.

These are not abstract statistics. They describe an increasingly difficult commercial reality for family farms across Northern Ireland and, in different ways, throughout the United Kingdom. They should also concern every household that depends on an affordable and reliable food supply.

International instability has exposed just how vulnerable modern agriculture is to events far beyond the farm gate. Energy prices, fertiliser supplies, animal feed, transport costs and internationally traded commodities are all affected by geopolitical disruption. A conflict thousands of miles away can quickly increase the cost of producing milk, meat, eggs and vegetables here at home.

In Northern Ireland, these pressures are compounded by the additional administrative and logistical burdens associated with the Windsor Framework. Farmers and food producers already operating on tight margins must contend with arrangements that do not apply in the same way to their competitors elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

And further uncertainty lies ahead with the introduction of the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in January 2027. Ministers believe its initial impact will be modest, but its implications for fertiliser costs and agricultural competitiveness deserve careful scrutiny before another potential burden is placed on an industry already under considerable strain.

The danger is not simply that food becomes more expensive this winter. It is that sustained pressure undermines our ability to produce food in the years ahead. Farmers postpone investment in machinery and buildings, reduce production, reconsider expansion and question whether the next generation should take over the family business.

That final point is particularly troubling. In a recent Ulster Farmers’ Union survey, 88.6 per cent of respondents reported increased family stress and worry because of the announced changes to inheritance tax rules.

 

Whatever the Treasury believes these measures will raise, ministers must consider the wider consequences for succession, investment and the survival of productive family farms.

Northern Ireland has an especially important contribution to make to the United Kingdom’s food security. Our livestock, dairy, poultry, egg and other agricultural sectors support not only rural communities but a substantial food processing industry. This is a strategic national asset, not merely another sector seeking government assistance.

I do not argue that the United Kingdom should attempt complete food self-sufficiency. International trade is essential, and access to diverse overseas suppliers strengthens our resilience. But relying increasingly on imported food while allowing domestic production to decline would be a serious strategic mistake.

Resilience comes from having options. We need strong domestic agriculture alongside reliable international trading relationships, supported by transport infrastructure and supply chains capable of withstanding prolonged disruption.

That requires a fundamental change in how government regards farming. Instead of concentrating almost exclusively on annual agricultural budgets, ministers should ask what productive capacity the United Kingdom needs to retain in order to protect its long-term national interests.

I believe there is a serious case for considering a food production duty alongside the environmental, animal welfare and other obligations already placed upon farmers. Food production should be recognised explicitly as a national priority, with government policy designed to sustain the businesses responsible for delivering it.

That does not mean abandoning environmental responsibilities. Farmers in Northern Ireland are already investing in soil health, nutrient efficiency, biodiversity, genetics and carbon reduction. But environmental policy must work with food production rather than against it. There is little benefit in reducing production here if UK consumers simply buy the same food from countries operating to different standards.

Nor can ministers ignore the imbalance of power within the food supply chain. Farmers cannot indefinitely absorb rising costs, meet demanding production standards, invest in new technology and deliver affordable food without receiving a sustainable return. A resilient food system begins with a viable primary producer.

Agriculture also requires long-term confidence. Decisions about buildings, machinery, breeding, environmental improvements and future production are made over years, sometimes decades. Constant policy changes and short-term interventions do little to encourage the investment on which future food supplies depend.

Food security should therefore be incorporated properly into national security planning, with regular assessments of domestic production capacity and the vulnerabilities affecting critical agricultural inputs. Agricultural, trade, energy, environmental and national resilience policies must be coordinated rather than developed in isolation.

Above all, I want ministers to answer one straightforward question: who in this Government is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the United Kingdom retains the capacity to feed its people during a prolonged international crisis?

We have learned, often painfully, the dangers of becoming too dependent on others for essential supplies. We should not have to learn that lesson again with food. Food security is national security. A government that fails to protect the future of our farmers risks discovering that truth when it is already too late.

Baroness Arlene Foster is a former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a non-affiliated member of the House of Lords.

Join our free subscriber list [and pass it on to anyone who might benefit.]