Ben Raskin, head of horticulture at the Soil Association, visited parliament to give evidence on the challenges facing the UK fruit and veg sector as part of an inquiry being led by the House of Lords Horticultural Sector Committee.
The inquiry was set up to consider the challenges, opportunities and risks faced by the horticultural sector, including the impact of climate change on productivity and food supply. Earlier this year the Soil Association submitted written evidence to the inquiry where they called for an overhaul of the UK food system.
With imports providing more than 80% of fruit and almost half of our vegetables, the Soil Association want to see a ‘dramatic increase’ in fruit and vegetables produced here in Britain through nature-friendly, agroecological farming practices, including organic.
Raskin said: “Our current food system is broken, and our horticulture sector is in crisis and vulnerable to a wide range of pressures. This was plain to see with the empty supermarket shelves earlier this year, and diet-related poor health is also soaring.
“The need to produce more fruit and veg here in the UK is undeniable – as is the need for us to build soil health and move away from using damaging chemical pesticides and fertilisers and for us to stop using precious peat reserves to grow food.
“But to make these changes growers need support and investment in research into alternatives from Government, and we need to rethink supply chains so that they provide markets and a fair deal for growers who produce nature-friendly, healthy food.”