The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has joined forces with several "food supply chain leaders" to call upon the next prime minister to back a new plan for a "more resilient and affordable" food system.

Following the resignation of current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NFU published an open letter today (Thursday, July 9), in collaboration with the British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation and UKHospitality, which outlines five key areas that the future government can improve upon.

With the UK food and drink sector currently worth more than £153 billion, the farming union stated that its plan shows how a more resilient food system can add "further value" by protecting households from future food shocks.

According to the NFU, the letter details how swift action in key areas will deliver "long-term food security and address vulnerabilities" in the food system, alleviating pressure for both businesses and households.

Five-point plan

The open letter highlights the following key areas where the signatories can work with the next government on:

Delivering value for the public - The letter calls upon the government to work proactively with the entire food chain in an effort to reduce cost pressures driven by rising energy costs, increased taxation and additional regulations, with the aim of ensuring that consumers have access to a resilient, long-term supply of affordable, high-quality domestically produced food;
EU realignment - While welcoming past efforts to reduce friction in trade between the EU and the UK, the letter also outlined that any possible disruptions to the cost of producing food in Britain should be minimised in any future negotiations;
Planning - The letter argues that a more lenient planning and environmental permitting system would remove barriers to investment, growth, adaptation, diversification and decarbonisation in the farming sector;
People - With the industry's ageing workforce and growing concerns regarding seasonal labourers, the letter recommends the formation of a UK-wide food and drink sector workforce strategy, allowing for a strong domestic pipeline of skills and talent to be built across all age groups;
Investment and growth - The letter urged the government to collaborate with industry leaders "on all available options to drive private investment", while also ensuring that regulation does not "impose additional unnecessary costs that add to food price inflation for hard pressed consumers."

NFU

Speaking about the plan, NFU president Tom Bradshaw emphasised that "British farmers and growers are the foundation of UK's food system".

Bradshaw said: "With 70 million people reliant on us to produce their food, we must act now to secure a resilient, affordable food system in the coming years.

"To drive success, farmers and growers need to know they’ll have the workforce they rely on, regulation which supports efficiency and growth, and a planning system that drives investment in much-needed farm infrastructure such as poultry sheds, storage for valuable manures and reservoirs.

"These are all things that will build resilience in food production, and these investments will help both hard-pressed farmers and struggling consumers."

He added that the next prime minister should lead charge by getting behind the five-point plan.