Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure an adequate food supply in the context of potential shortages.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. The recently published Government Food Strategy sets out a plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future. Responding to recent events, the Food Strategy puts food security at the heart of the Government's vision for the food sector. The strategy sets out ambitions to boost food production in key sectors with post-Brexit opportunities and create jobs, with a focus on skills and innovations to level-up across the country.

The UK's high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. In addition, the UK has nearly 100% sufficiency in poultry, carrots and swedes. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

The UK Government has well established ways of working with the industry and with the Devolved Administrations to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. The capability, levers and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. They have highly resilient supply chains, and this was proven in the initial COVID-19 response. The Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response.