Memorandum submitted by The Royal Academy
of Engineering (SFS 55)
The Royal Academy of Engineering welcomes the
EFRA Select Committee inquiry on "Securing food supplies
up to 2050: the challenges for the UK" and is pleased to
submit evidence. This response has been compiled using contributions
from appropriate Fellows of the Academy and from a meeting held
in October 2008 on Engineering and Global Food Security.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Food security is a complex issue that
will require leadership from the Government and interdisciplinary
working between farmers, scientists, engineers, policy-makers
and consumers. An integrated and systematic policy approach is
needed to address properly the interdependent issues affecting
the food industry.
2. The Academy is not aware of a coherent
cross-Government food strategy with clear and well publicised
aims. Within Defra there needs to be better integration and communication.
3. The Government must encourage food production
alongside consideration of environmental issues, and develop policies
that reflect the dual aims of increasing food security and preserving
the countryside.
4. Significant food wastage occurs in the
UK. Government and the science/engineering community must help
to communicate the right message in order to effect changes in
consumer behaviour.
5. It is important for the UK to consider
the relationships between food and energy and to seek ways to
improve energy intensive processes. This will reduce the sensitivity
of the food system to oil and gas prices.
6. The UK's water drainage infrastructure
must be reinvigorated and properly maintained. There should also
be significant investment in water storage to allow for more efficient
irrigation and water distribution on a national scale.
7. The UK has indirectly reduced its engineering
skills capacity through a range of policies. Over the last few
decades training provision has declined, particularly in the applied
areas of food production and agricultural engineering.
1. How robust is the current UK food system?
What are its main strengths and weaknesses?
1.1 The UK food system is reasonably robust.
The UK produces around 60% of its food, particularly in temperate
products such as grains, oilseeds and vegetables.
1.2 Strengths include:
— Mild climate with adequate rainfall
and fertile soils.
— Large farms (compared to some EU
countries); this is important for better land efficiency.
— The top UK farmers are also world
leaders in agricultural methods.
— Very robust quality assurance and
control systems are in place and enforced.
1.3 Weaknesses include:
— Lack of legislative support over
recent decades, with generally more emphasis on preserving the
countryside than primary food production.
— Perceptions caused by periods of
food surplus in Europe (i.e. the "grain mountains"),
that led the Government and consumers to believe there wasn't
a global food shortage problem but a distribution problem. Although
the global situation has since changed, this belief is still fairly
widespread and hinders the UK's prospects for food security.
— Insufficient consideration of the
energy and carbon costs involved in food production.
— Lack of effective applied research
and knowledge transfer services to deliver research messages to
farmers and feedback to researchers.
— Land scarcity; the land area available
to farming in the UK is approximately one third of a hectare per
person, making land the most limited input to agriculture. To
maximise yields from limited land, farmers rely on intensive methods
and the substantial use of fertilisers, chemicals and fuel which
causes the cost of food production to be sensitive to oil prices.
2. 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?
2.1 As a result of the weaknesses detailed
in section 1 and other factors, the UK is not currently well
placed to make a major contribution to increasing the world supply
of food. However, the UK should be able to meet a larger proportion
of its own requirements, and thus contribute to increasing global
food production if certain actions are taken.
2.2 By 2050, because of mounting concerns
over energy sources and environmental impact, it will be necessary
to have found a way to either reduce the amount of energy required
for the Haber Bosch process (the energy intensive method by which
nitrogen fertiliser is produced) or find an alternative process/source.
Here the role of chemical engineers will be particularly important.
Maintaining soil quality is vital for sustainable food production,
hence the importance of the nitrogen fertilisers. Using existing
technology, biowaste and compost could also be modified and applied
to fields to maintain soil fertility.
2.3 New technologies should be fully exploited
where appropriate to increase production sustainably. Nitrogen
and water use efficiency could be improved using plant and animal
genetics research to develop crops and agrochemical equipment,
and employing precision farming methods to reduce wastage during
application.
2.4 In order to sustain a robust glasshouse
industry renewable energy sources or more efficient processes
will be required. The UK should explore how the Dutch manage an
effective glasshouse industry utilising waste heat from power
stations. Utilising waste heat to warm soils can also have a positive
impact on productivity.
3. In particular, what are the challenges
the UK faces in relation to the following aspects of the supply
side of the food system?
3.1 Water availability:
— Irrigated agriculture accounts for
1% of UK water abstraction and 4% of the crop area, yet accounts
for 20% of the crop value.
— There needs to be significant investment
in water storage to allow for more efficient irrigation and water
distribution on a national scale. The number of on-farm storage
reservoirs could be increased and precision farming methods could
be used to apply water more effectively.
— The water drainage infrastructure
has been poorly maintained since Government subsidies were removed
in the 1980s; this will become increasingly problematic as the
delayed effects start to show. The drainage infrastructure must
be reinvigorated and properly maintained. Studies have shown that
strong relationships exist between drainage and yield. For example,
in 2007, Birds Eye lost 40% of its pea crop due to heavy rainfall
and poor drainage.
3.2 The science base:
— The UK food science base is reasonable
at the moment, but lacks adequate funding to safeguard it for
the future.
— The incorporation of the Agricultural
and Food Research Council into the Biotechnology and Biological
Science Research Council in 1994 has resulted in a loss of
focus on food research in the UK.
3.3 The provision of training:
— The UK, once an international leader
in the provision of services, has indirectly reduced the engineering
skills capacity through a range of policies. Over the last few
decades training provision has declined, particularly in the applied
areas of food production and agricultural engineering.
— Training facilities are not attractive
and the food industry has a reputation of poor rewards for long
hours.
3.4 Trade barriers:
— The dominance of the "Big 4"
supermarkets imposes distortions in the market place and reduces
competitiveness through effects on various parts of the supply
chain.
— EU quotas and tariffs limiting the
production of foods in the UK (e.g. milk) reduce opportunities
to become food secure.
4. 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?
4.1 It is likely that there will be a continued
decrease of home-cooking caused by changes in lifestyle. This
will increase the demand for packaged and processed foods.
4.2 Developments in technology (e.g. machinery,
genetics, chemicals) will continue to become available. However
their acceptability to consumers, and therefore their adoption,
will be questionable. In the case of genetic modification there
is still a lack of consumer acceptance in the UK.
4.3 Due to superficial quality standards
particularly for fruit and vegetables, there is significant food
wastage in the UK. Consumer and supermarket-driven standards feed
back into the supply chain, often resulting in fruit and vegetables
not being harvested by farmers. Additionally, an estimated 25%
of all fresh produce is thrown away by consumers after purchase.
Government, along with the science/engineering community, must
help to communicate the right message in order to effect changes
in consumer behaviour.
4.4 Dietary preferences for meat protein
increase pressure on farming as vastly more land, water and feedstock
is required to produce meat than plant-based foods. The global
demand for cheaply priced meat is increasing.
4.5 It is likely that there will be an increase
in the trend for local production. Much more use could be made
of local food networks. However the importance of convenience
to the consumer means supermarket chains are likely to remain
dominant. For local food networks to be viable across the UK there
would be significant logistical and operational changes required.
The current value of the pound against the Euro could now encourage
more home production.
5. 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?
5.1 The Government must encourage food production
alongside consideration of environmental issues and develop policies
that reflect the dual aims of increasing food security and preserving
the countryside. Past schemes such as set-aside land initiatives
have disincentivised the farming community from increasing production.
5.2 The decline of agricultural research
centres in the UK has significantly reduced agricultural research
capacity. Defra could now take a more strategic long-term view
of what research is needed and maintain strategically important
areas.
5.3 Food security is a complex issue that
will require leadership from the Government and interdisciplinary
working between farmers, scientists, engineers, policy-makers
and consumers. An integrated and systematic policy approach is
needed to address properly the interdependent issues affecting
the food industry.
5.4 Technology can help increase food production
and has historically resulted in many agricultural revolutions.
In the UK, leading up to 2050, changes in consumer behaviour,
trade barriers and agricultural policies could have a comparable
impact to technology.
6. 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?
6.1 The Academy is not aware of a coherent
cross-Government food strategy with clear and well publicised
aims. Within Defra there could be better integration and communication.
7. 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?
7.1 It should be possible for Defra to monitor
the UK's progress using its existing statistical collection methods,
although measures for sustainability may require further development.
January 2009
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