Recommendation 14

HM Government Not Addressed

Conclusion and Recommendation 14: The Government should amend the Agriculture Bill so that food security assessments should take place yearly, rather than every five years. (Paragraph 73) Reject. Government believes the current provisions in the Bill are sufficient to meet our needs. Clause 18 of the Agriculture Bill requires the Secretary of State to prepare and lay before Parliament a report on food security. The report must contain an assessment of the following relating to food produced in the United Kingdom or food imported into the United Kingdom: • Global availability of food • Supply chain resilience • UK production • Input costs • Other relevant factors • Any risks to food security The Bill also requires the first report to be published within three years of Royal Assent, and each subsequent report to be published at intervals of no more than five years. We believe that this is the right frequency to conduct this assessment. There is a clear link between the food security assessment and the longer-term policy cycles in the Agriculture Bill, which would not be properly aligned with a more frequent reporting requirement. A food security assessment every five years also aligns with the Environment Act’s five-yearly cycle for environmental target setting. Furthermore, Defra already monitors food security on an ongoing basis through a variety of different data sources and reports, including: • regular engagement with the food industry; • analysis of trade data; and • horizon scanning for emerging risks in food supply chains. This is supplemented by the work of the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group and allows Defra to respond quickly to any potential risks to the food supply. This regular monitoring means that Defra is well placed to identify and react to any short-term risks to food security. The five-yearly food security report will build on this existing work, providing an opportunity to take stock and assess the longer-term trends affecting food security.