Calls for action as UK vegetable self-sufficiency falls to 55%

Britain's declining food self-sufficiency has prompted renewed calls to strengthen domestic production, while the Fresh Produce Consortium's warnings about global supply risks underline the importance of protecting access to overseas sources.

New NFU analysis, published on Back British Farming Day, reveals that UK self-sufficiency fell in 10 of the 11 food commodities examined between 1995 and 2024. The union is urging ministers to set ambitious targets for homegrown food.

Fresh vegetable self-sufficiency dropped from 74% to 55%, while potatoes fell from 90% to 70%, according to figures reported by The Times. These measure domestic production relative to supply, rather than equivalent percentage reductions in harvest volumes.

The Grocer's coverage of the NFU's Ready to Grow report also identifies fresh fruit among the categories where self-sufficiency has declined. NFU president Tom Bradshaw called for defined food production targets supported by a core set of standards.

The NFU says agri-food import volumes increased by 70% over the period, while export volumes stalled. It argues that farmers and growers are ready to meet growing demand, but face considerable barriers to expansion.

Extreme weather, rising fuel and fertiliser costs linked to conflict, and planning restrictions have contributed to the decline, the union told The Times.

The findings follow a separate warning about the resilience of the wider food system. As Freshtalk Daily reported in August, IGD's first resilience survey found that 91% of the food industry leaders and academics surveyed believed risks to the UK food system had increased over the previous year. Geopolitics ranked highest among threats over the next five years, followed by climate change, water pressures and challenges facing agriculture.

Responding to that survey, FPC chief executive Nigel Jenney said: "The answer to a more volatile world isn't to narrow our supply base, it's to protect the breadth of it".

FPC's position is that resilience depends on maintaining a diverse international supply base, with strong EU trading relationships alongside sourcing from the rest of the world. Jenney's comments addressed the IGD findings, rather than the newly published NFU analysis.

Taken together, the two interventions point to complementary priorities for fresh produce: giving British growers the confidence and capacity to produce more, while ensuring businesses can continue sourcing from a broad range of countries when supplies come under pressure.