Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Paragraph: 59
Advocate for and address international issues of insect decline affecting global food security.
Recommendation
The United Kingdom relies significantly on the global production of various horticultural crops, including fruits and salad vegetables. These imported foods may be subject to vulnerabilities, such as wars, which can see significant price increases. Approximately 50% of the food consumed in the UK comes from overseas. Therefore, it is integral to UK food security that the issues regarding insect decline and food production are also addressed at an international level. The UK Government should use its position in international forums to advocate for and address the issues highlighted in this report on a global scale. Collaborative efforts are essential to mitigate the challenges posed by insect decline and to secure sustainable and resilient food systems worldwide.
Government Response Summary
The government fully acknowledges the importance of international collaboration and states that the UK already advocates for global efforts to address insect decline and food security in various international forums. It provides examples of existing international agreements and frameworks, such as the Global Framework on Chemicals and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as evidence of ongoing work.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Defra fully acknowledges the importance of international collaboration to achieve global biodiversity targets. As a Party to many international environmental agreements, the UK already advocates for global efforts to address insect decline and food security and will continue to do so. For example, the recently agreed Global Framework on Chemicals contains targets for Governments to implement policies and programmes to increase support to safer and more sustainable agricultural practices, and by 2035, to have taken effective measures to phase out highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where the risks have not been managed and where safer and affordable alternatives are available. Further, the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at COP15 contains targets aimed at halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and supporting the sustainable use of nature by 2030. There are multiple targets that aim to address the issues that are known to be major drivers of the decline of insect populations, including climate change (Target 8), land use change (Targets 1-3), invasive species (Target 6), and pollution (Target 7). Parties including the UK are currently revising their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans to set out their national commitments towards meeting these global targets. The majority of Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP23) covers England-only policy as the environment is primarily a devolved matter.