Farm Housing Barriers Threaten UK Food Security, Warns Union

A shortage of suitable on-farm housing could prevent new growers from entering the industry and weaken the UK's future food security, a farming union has warned.

The Landworkers' Alliance (LWA) is calling for updated guidance to help local planning authorities assess applications for agricultural dwellings, particularly those connected with smaller farms, market gardens and agroecological enterprises.

Its intervention follows the publication of the Government's revised National Planning Policy Framework for England. Although the union believes the changes make some progress towards supporting agricultural, horticultural and forestry developments, it says further guidance is needed.

According to the LWA, planners, planning committees and agricultural appraisers can rely on outdated interpretations of the "essential need" and "financial viability" tests applied to proposed rural workers' homes.

Newer farms and market gardens may struggle to satisfy these requirements during their establishment phase, even when their operators need to remain close to crops, livestock and essential infrastructure.

The union argues that the planning system must recognise the practical demands of modern food production. Farmers and growers can be required on site at irregular hours to care for livestock, respond to changing weather conditions, manage ventilation and irrigation, harvest crops during limited windows and protect their businesses.

This summer's extreme heat and dry conditions have underlined those demands, with growers needing to irrigate crops late into the evening and alter working patterns to avoid the hottest parts of the day.

The LWA has also linked the issue directly to the resilience of the UK food system. It says increasing domestic production will require more people to enter farming and horticulture, but the difficulty of obtaining permission to live on their holdings could deter prospective producers.

This is particularly significant for fruit and vegetable production, with the country continuing to depend heavily on supplies grown overseas, including in regions facing mounting pressure from climate change.

The union wants planning authorities to be given the information and expertise needed to approve agricultural dwellings that can contribute to food security while also supporting nature and climate objectives.

It maintains that enabling more farmers and growers to live where they work would support the creation of viable businesses, strengthen local food production and help build a more resilient domestic supply base.