Memorandum submitted by the Research Councils
UK (SFS 49)
SUMMARY
— This response from Research Councils
UK focuses primarily on research and postgraduate training in
the UK.
— The UK has a strong research base
underpinning agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and food, including
major centres of expertise and facilities at Research Council
institutes. Applied R&D and translation into practice are
weaker and need to be strengthened.
— The UK can be expected to contribute
through its scientific expertise to meeting future challenges
of increasing global food production and managing supply while
minimising environmental impact.
— Sustained funding for research will
be crucial to enable the UK research base to deliver the necessary
basic and applied research and to ensure its translation into
practical application.
— Defra should play a leading role
including appropriate contributions to research programmes and
working effectively with the Research Councils to ensure sustainable
UK capacity and capability in agricultural research and development.
— Some of the issues raised in this
document are also being discussed by the members of the Living
With Environmental Change partnership, of which the Research Councils,
Defra and some of its agencies are members. The aim is to co-design
and co-deliver research addressing food and water issues in the
context of a rapidly changing environment.
INTRODUCTION
1. Research Councils UK[128]
is a strategic partnership set up to enable the seven UK Research
Councils to work together more effectively and enhance the overall
impact and effectiveness of their research, training, innovation
and public engagement activities.
2. The Research Councils welcome the opportunity
to respond to this Inquiry. This evidence is submitted by RCUK
on behalf of the following Councils:
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council (BBSRC)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
3. It represents their independent views,
and includes contributions from relevant NERC-sponsored centres
and units (Annex 1). It does not include or necessarily reflect
the views of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
(the sponsoring government department for the Research Councils).
In addition to this response, the BBSRC and several of its research
institutes are submitting separate information to the Inquiry.
4. This response focuses mainly on research
and training, in keeping with the Research Councils' mission and
roles. Annex 2 provides summary information on relevant cross-council
research programmes, and Annex 3 sets out some definitions.
POINTS RAISED
BY THE
EFRA COMMITTEE
Q1. How robust is the current UK food system?
What are its main strengths and weaknesses?
5. The UK is around 60% self-sufficient
in food production[129]
and could in principle be made more so, but even if greater self-sufficiency
were achieved it would not provide total security of UK food supply.
The UK would remain dependent on import of foods that could not
be produced domestically, and (crucially) also dependent on imported
fossil fuels required for food production and distribution. Future
policies may require changes in farming practice away from oil
dependency, possibly at considerable cost to the consumer and
productivity.
6. Strengths
(a) The UK is well suited to some food production,
with a moderate climate and fertile soils, generally with good
water supply (see also Q2).
(b) Highly productive and efficient, modern agriculture
(although growth in UK productivity since the mid-1980s fell behind
than in some other European countries, and this has been associated
with reduced public spending on agricultural R&D[130]).
(c) Excellent research base in basic/strategic
biological (including biotechnology) and environmental science
underpinning agriculture, fisheries and food. Major facilities
and centres of expertise at Research Council institutes (Annex
1) are key parts of the national capability. (But see weaknesses
regarding erosion of parts of the research base and the need for
improved translation of basic research into practice.)
(d) Expertise in modelling of climate, the climate-water
cycle and agricultural productivity. Research capacity to tackle
complex multi-sectoral issues that impinge upon food security.
(e) Long term, spatially extensive, national
datasets (soils, water, biodiversity) exist—required to
monitor and assess the vulnerability of UK and internationally
sourced food supplies.
7. Weaknesses
(a) Lack of coordination across the many players
in a varied and fragmented industrial sector where there is a
need to provide a systems perspective of the rural economy.
(b) A lack of integrated analysis of food-related
policy objectives to include environmental and socio-economic
aspects e.g. advice from the FSA on health benefits of increasing
fish consumption is in conflict with current pressures on wild
stocks and problems in the fisheries supply chain.
(c) Limited coordination across government for
collaboration between UK researchers and those overseas, especially
outside the EU.
(d) Many factors have contributed to changes
in the emphasis given to food research, including decline in Defra's
funding of research related to agriculture, food and fisheries
over many years, with negative impacts on the research base and
infrastructure including Research Council institutes. Agriculture
and food research and training in the universities have also declined,
with closure of some departments, facilities and courses and loss
of associated expertise.
(e) Shortages of key skills, leading to recruitment
and succession problems in topics such as agronomy, weed science,
plant pathology and mycology, plant breeding, soil science, animal
disease research and whole animal physiology, agri-environment
and areas of ecology and hydrology, numerical modelling and social
policy.
(f) Translation of underpinning research into
practice needs to be informed by integrated insights from social
science and made more effective. Applied agricultural R&D
has declined; extension services for demonstration and advice
also appear to be less effective than previously. Translation
from basic and strategic research through more applied work and
into practical application by industry needs to be strengthened.
(g) Dependence of food production and supply
chains on inputs such as energy and fertilisers puts them potentially
at risk from rising energy prices and disruptions (as shown, for
example, during industrial disputes that disrupted petrol supplies
in 2000 and 2008).
(h) Fisheries are at risk from overfishing and
from discarding catches, poor implementation of scientific advice
and enforcement measures, and potentially climate change and ocean
acidification. Fish farming (but not shellfish or seaweed farming)
is in turn largely dependent on wild capture fisheries and can
itself have detrimental environmental impacts.
(i) Agri-environmental practices can be too narrow,
lacking adequately holistic frameworks and therefore undermining
their long-term sustainability.
(j) Improvements are required in the extent and
availability of spatial datasets (e.g. soils) that are essential
to both long-term monitoring, planning and assessment, and short-term
management. The UK also needs to improve its capacity to anticipate,
model and appropriately respond to invasive species, ranging from
viruses to larger vertebrates, that can threaten food supplies.
Q2. How well placed is the UK to make the
most of its opportunities in responding to the challenge of increasing
global food production by 50% by 2030 and doubling it by
2050, while ensuring that such production is sustainable?
8. The UK is well suited to produce some
foods, given its moderate climate and rainfall and fertile soils.
With changing climate, northern Europe is projected to become
more important in global food production. The climate of south-east
England is projected to resemble the current climate in the Mediterranean,
hastening the growth of new agri-industries (e.g. wine growing),
while making some existing crops uneconomic—especially in
areas that are already water stressed.
9. Global fisheries yields from marine capture
appear close to their sustainable limits. Rebuilding of depleted
stocks and further diversification of the industry may lead to
some small increases in production. Increases in aquaculture production
may be possible but are limited in the UK by the tendency to farm
carnivorous species (e.g. salmon, trout) which in turn require
substantial inputs of animal protein. Increased farming of shellfish
and macro-algae has much greater potential.
10. Arguably among the greatest contributions
the UK can make is in applying its scientific expertise to the
global challenges. Greatly increased production using the same
or less land and resources will be achievable only through integrated
research and its effective application. For example, in many areas
supply of freshwater may limit agricultural production on land,
so marine farming lower in the food chain is an obvious area for
expansion. UK research played a major part in the "green
revolution" of the 1960s. The UK retains a strong research
base in underpinning science[131]
and can be expected to make similar significant scientific contributions
towards increased production, both in the UK and internationally.
As leading centres, the Research Council institutes will be crucial
in the UK effort. But major sustained investment in high quality
research will be required over the coming years to deliver the
required improvements (see also Q3, science base).
Q3. In particular, what are the challenges
the UK faces in relation to the following aspects of the supply
side of the food system:
Soil quality
11. Sustainable agricultural production
depends critically on maintaining soil quality (soil fertility
requiring suitable chemical and microbiological composition and
physical structure). Basic and applied research (including soil
mapping) will be needed to advance understanding of soil biogeochemical
processes and to develop improved agricultural practices that
conserve soil quality, control erosion and run-off, reduce compaction
and enable reduced inputs.
Water availability
12. Climate change will impact on land use
and lead to changes in rainfall, evapotranspiration and, crucially
for groundwater resources, natural replenishment of aquifers.
Increased demand for irrigation water can be expected in the dryer
south-east of the UK. The UK will need to follow other regions
of the world and speed up the use of unconventional water resources
(saline and brackish, waste waters from sewage and industry, etc)
in agriculture, and develop technical and policy solutions to
reduce consumption.
13. In addition to changes in average rainfall,
increasing variability and increasing frequency of extremes will
affect agricultural productivity and food security. Our understanding
of, and hence ability to model and predict natural variability
is quite poor. A repeat of the prolonged dry period in the late
19th century would severely test the UK's food (and water) security.
14. The global food production targets for
2050 will need to be met without increasing demands upon
already unsustainably exploited water resources. While the green
revolution doubled food production from many key food crops, this
was accompanied by a trebling of water consumption.
The marine environment
15. Defra's core aim is for safe and productive
seas which can sustain fisheries and other human activities whilst
also supporting a rich and diverse wildlife via an ecosystem-based
approach to marine management. Challenges include balancing competing
pressures (e.g. fisheries, marine renewable energy and nature
conservation), spatial planning and implementing Marine Protected
Areas. Monitoring and research will be needed to support the ecosystem
approach and to develop planning tools that support multiple,
synergistic uses of the marine environment including food provision.
16. It is widely accepted that the Common
Fisheries Policy has been a failure within the UK in terms of
delivering its objectives of supporting economic, social and biological
sustainability. There has been insufficient emphasis upon conserving
the biological resource and the consequence has been degradation
of the economic and social objectives. A challenge is to reduce
the volume of capture fisheries within UK, EU and global waters
and its collateral damage to ecosystems and local economies, without
reducing profitability while competing in a global market.
17. Food production from marine ecosystems
is under combined pressure from climate and fisheries. Pollution
issues include wastes from and disease in fish farms, and impacts
on migratory species and from terrestrial run-off. Changes in
ocean temperature, storminess and acidity can be expected to affect
productivity. Many species that are currently fished will decline;
in particular cold water species (e.g. cod) will become less abundant
in EU waters. Warmer water species (e.g. mackerel, sea bass) may
compensate to some extent.
18. The projected loss of the Arctic ice
sheet in summer months may lead to a local increase in fish numbers,
mainly benefitting nations around the Arctic Ocean but contributing
to the global supply of protein.
19. Aquaculture will outstrip fisheries
as the major producer of marine food within the next decade, representing
a paradigm shift in exploitation of the aquatic environment. As
freshwater resources are already over-committed in many areas,
this increased production will come from the sea. This represents
a major challenge to sustainable management of the marine environment.
Research investment in this area is required.
20. Wild fish supplies from warmer latitudes
are likely to reduce as a consequence of climate change, but especially
through over-fishing. Fish farming in Asia and Africa is likely
to increase.
21. Fresh waters also support diverse fisheries
and aquaculture operations. Research is needed into links between
freshwater quality and habitat quality within the framework of
integrated water catchment management planning.
The science base
22. The UK has a strong research base relevant
to food production. But in order to meet future challenges it
will be essential to sustain sufficient investment to provide
appropriate capability, skills, infrastructure and facilities
and enable the necessary research and its transfer into practice
in the UK and overseas. Sustained funding is needed to support
basic underpinning science, feeding into strategic, applied and
policy research, and coupled with knowledge transfer through to
practical applications for end users by mechanisms including effective
extension and advisory services.
23. Research will need to become more interdisciplinary
to address complex questions relating to food security, especially
in the context of climate, environmental and social change. Systems
approaches and research at a range of scales from molecular to
field, catchment and regional will be needed. Integration of biological,
environmental and socio-economic research will be essential, and
the Research Councils will continue to promote and support interdisciplinary
approaches wherever appropriate (see also Annex 2).
24. In relation to fisheries and aquaculture,
improved co-ordination and links between the government-funded
laboratories (FRS, CEFAS and AFBI) and the NERC capacity (marine
laboratories and research ships) could maximise benefits.
The provision of training
25. A continued supply of skilled natural
and social scientists will be essential to meet future challenges,
both to sustain the research base and for the benefit of the economy
more widely. The Research Councils play a central role in provision
of training, particularly at postgraduate level. The Research
Council institutes are an important component, hosting significant
numbers of research students in relevant topics in underpinning
biological and environmental sciences.
26. There appears to have been a shift in
recent years in student numbers away from biology (and especially
agriculturally relevant courses) towards biomedical topics. Skills
shortages (see also Weaknesses) tend to be complex issues, with
problems potentially arising in both supply (e.g. declining numbers
of students) and demand (availability of relevant jobs). Incentives
need to be improved to take up training and careers in more applied
topics.
Trade barriers
27. The UK is a trading country with an
open economy. A secure food supply does not, therefore, solely
depend on the UK's potential for domestic production; this must
be balanced with importation. Many national governments, however,
responded to food price increases by adopting protectionist policies.
Research shows this only serves to exacerbate price spikes and
food security issues, cutting off trading flows at a time when
they are most important. Food market regulation and socio-economic
research can help inform both national and international practice
and policy. This must be pursued, however, with a view to ensuring
fair prices for both consumers and producers around the world;
in this way the facilitation of an open global market in the food
industry can be balanced by a commitment to tackle global poverty
through the economics of food production and trade. Moreover,
given the UK agricultural industry's dependence on energy inputs
sourced from elsewhere, it is vital that efforts for international
trade liberalisation also extend to these industries.
28. Other important issues to take into
account are debt, distribution of wealth amongst producers and
consumers within the UK, and local engagement in policy development,
to enable bottom-up approaches with an understanding of cultural
and social drivers. The impact of trade on the sustainable use
of water resources globally is also important.
The way in which land is farmed and managed
29. To meet the increase in global food
demand, the availability of agricultural land may need to increase,
but land for food production will continue to face competition
from encroaching urban development. A major challenge will be
achieving a balance of productive agriculture (for food, fuel
and raw materials) while also providing other ecosystem services
(such as water, biodiversity, recreational use of the countryside)
and in the context of climate and other environmental change.
Severe water shortages, sea level change and the need to reduce
inefficient fertiliser and pesticide usage are further challenges.
In the interests of global food security it is paramount that
agricultural productivity reaches its high untapped potential
in the developing world and that efforts to reduce international
poverty are more successful.
30. Research will be needed to support agricultural
systems that manage land for a variety of purposes, and to predict,
manage and mitigate possible consequences such as soil degradation,
depletion/ replenishment of groundwater resources and impacts
on biodiversity in agricultural and associated habitats.
31. Further research is needed into the
effect of farm size upon agricultural productivity. Small household
farming units can help maintain food supply and underpin local
rural economies. But larger production units (such as in Brazil)
can often improve agricultural productivity.
Q4. What trends are likely to emerge on the
demand side of the food system in the UK, in terms of consumer
taste and habits, and what will be their main effect? What use
could be made of local food networks?
32. The Food Matters report reviewed
the main trends in consumption. An increasing proportion of consumers
are likely to want foods offering health benefits and some will
be prepared to pay a premium for this. There will be increasing
demand for foods that are perceived to have low environmental
impact or not to degrade quality of life in developing countries.
Convenience foods are associated with increased energy input and
wastage and this may become increasingly unacceptable to consumers
and to industry, particularly as 30-50% of production is lost
to food chain wastage. However, cost will remain a prime concern
for the majority of consumers.
33. Consumers will want to be increasingly
reassured of the provenance of foods and traceability will become
more important. Local food networks may become more important
but are unlikely to provide more than a minority of sales and
will not address issues such as diversity, convenience and cost.
Locally sourced foods may be attractive but must be priced right
and available through existing sales infrastructures.
34. A drive to greater national self-sufficiency
would lead to increased seasonality and a much narrower choice
of foods that would require considerable changes in attitude for
acceptability. However, benefits to health, the environment and
industry make attempting to change consumer attitudes worthy of
perseverance.
35. Other issues that must be considered
in relation to consumer behaviour include demographic changes
(i.e. different ages have different tastes and desire different
foods) and current concerns over obesity and health in relation
to dietary trends.
Q5. What role should Defra play both in ensuring
that the strengths of the UK food system are maintained and in
addressing the weaknesses that have been identified? What leadership
and assistance should Defra provide to the food industry?
36. In our view Defra (acting with its devolved
counterparts) should take a leading role, in its capacity as the
government department with responsibility for farming and food.
The department's focus in recent years has tended more towards
environmental issues than to food production per se. The
Foods Standards Agency (and FSAS) has shown a strong lead in relation
to food safety and nutrition; similarly the Environment Agency
(and SEPA) has a clear role in environmental protection and regulation.
The position for food production and supply is less clear.
37. The Research Councils have little direct
experience of Defra's interactions with the food industry. However,
it is a matter of record[132]
that in the area of animal health the department is exploring
cost sharing with the farming industry. The philosophy seems to
be that of "industry pays for the research that it wants"
. While this may be appropriate for some activities, the industry
is likely to be unable or unwilling to contribute on the scale
envisaged. Government needs to step in and show leadership where
it is necessary to address market failures.
Q6. How well does Defra engage with other
relevant departments across Government, and with European and
international bodies, on food policy and the regulatory framework
for the food supply chain? Is there a coherent cross-Government
food strategy?
38. We address these questions under separate
sub-headings of engagement across government and cross-government
food strategy.
Engagement across government
39. We are in a position to comment only
on direct interactions of the Research Councils with Defra. The
department engages appropriately through UK advisory and coordinating
bodies on various food-related research topics (e.g. microbiological
food safety). Defra leads for the UK in various international
fora and engages well with the Research Councils (e.g. in developing
the EU Framework Programmes; the European Commission's Standing
Committee on Agriculture Research (SCAR); tetrapartite meetings
on agri-food research with France, USA and Canada).
40. Defra's engagement with Research Council
programmes and support for research through its policy-linked
work is welcomed. Defra has been a significant player in the design
of LWEC (see Annex 2) which has a specific objective on food and
water. However, declining Defra funding of BBSRC institutes with
a direct relevance to food production and diet and health has
been problematic. A particular issue has been the department's
reluctance to acknowledge its role in contributing to the sustainability
of the research base and infrastructure, contrary to RIPSS[133]
principles. The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee
reviewed these funding issues in its report on Research Council
institutes (March 2007) and recommended that Defra should implement
RIPSS. This remains outstanding.
Cross-government food strategy
41. To date there has not been a coherent
cross-government food strategy but recent coordinating activity
following the Food Matters report gives cause for optimism
that a strategy is being developed. We strongly welcome the interest
and leadership shown by the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser.
42. We further welcome the establishment
by Defra of the Council of Food Policy Advisors, although in our
view it would be strengthened if its membership included additional
scientific expertise. The recent growing interest across government
in food policy is welcome and creates considerable opportunity
to improve the governance of the UK food system with enhanced
policy engagement including in relation to the EU and World Trade
Organisation.
Q7. What criteria should Defra use to monitor
how well the UK is doing in responding to the challenge of doubling
global food production by 2050 while ensuring that such production
is sustainable?
43. Defra should continue to publish statistics
on UK agricultural and fisheries production, and related environmental
measurements such as water use and quality. In liaison with DfID
and relevant international bodies such as FAO, similar measurements
of global food production and the environmental impacts of agriculture,
fisheries and aquaculture should be monitored. Data and associated
metadata should be made fully available in a timely manner, to
assist researchers.
44. The Defra report recognises the need
to better quantify the greenhouse gas emissions associated with
food production and supply. As methods develop it will be necessary
to monitor such emissions.
45. In exploiting the UK's leadership in
global climate-water modelling, Defra/DfID/FCO in conjunction
with the Research Councils should support improved modelling of
global and regional climate-water-food-population relationships.
This could be done under the auspices of existing partnerships
such as UKCDS and LWEC (Annex 1).
46. The department should monitor its research
spending in relation to food production, alongside that by the
Research Councils in the UK and also government counterparts overseas.
Full details of all the department's research investment and strategy
should be readily available.
128 Further details are available at www.rcuk.ac.uk Back
129
Ensuring the UK's Food Security in a Changing World (Defra,
2008), para 4.12
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/foodstrategy/security.htm Back
130
The need for a new vision for UK agricultural research and
development (Commercial Farmers Group, 2008); summary at
http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/projects/rusource_briefings/rus08/644.pdf Back
131
For example, the UK is ranked top among G8 countries for
citation impact of papers in biological sciences (DIUS statistics,
Jul 2008): table and chart 1.10.03 at http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/IntComparativePerformanceUKResearch.pdf Back
132
Defra cost sharing proposals (2007-08): http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/ahws/sharing/index.htm Back
133
RIPSS: Research Council Institute and PSRE Sustainability Study
(DTI, 2004)
http://www.berr.gov.uk/dius/science/science-funding/ripss/page22675.html
and http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file14578.pdf Back
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