British farmers are in ’emergency’ as they are hit by high costs of fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy
After egg shortages, shortages of tomatoes or pears are not out of the question: with soaring costs, Britain is heading for a food supply crisis, the country’s biggest farmers’ union warned today.
“The danger is that we produce less and less food here and become more and more dependent on imports,” Minette Butters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), told a press conference in London.
British farmers are in “emergency”, according to the union: they have been hit by the high cost of fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy – a consequence of supply chains being disrupted by first the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine .
Eggs are already starting to become scarce and their price is increasing – on top of everything else, this particular species is also affected by bird flu. Many British supermarkets ended up selling eggs with the voucher.
Because of this situation, costs should be shared, argues the union, which is asking middlemen such as packaging or distribution companies for “more equity” in the supply chain, Butters added.
According to the NFU there are 7,000 fewer farms in the UK today compared to 2019 (a decrease of around 5%) while, for example, the price of nitrogen fertilizers has risen by 240% and the wholesale price of gas has risen by 650% in three years.
In addition to costs, which have increased everywhere in the world, British farmers also have to deal with the consequences of Brexit which, among other things, complicates the recruitment of European farm workers, on whom the agricultural sector relies. The NFU is asking the government to give more work permits to seasonal workers. This year some growers saw their produce rotting on the trees because there were no workers to harvest it.
Food and Agriculture Minister Mark Spencer is due to meet with representatives of egg producers today.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
