The UK has long been a net importer of food. Even at the height of the Second World War, with strict rationing the UK relied on food dangerously shipped in.

Farming techniques have improved, but the population has also risen, so that nearly half of the UK’s vegetables (44 per cent) are imported (and most fruit, 86 per cent) and what is produced here is a risk from climate change (as are the global sources).

The Green Alliance has produced a paper: How the horticulture sector growth plan can support health, security and the economy, that argues the case for expanding domestic production to make the food system more secure.

The analysis found the entire UK food supply could return to levels last seen in 2000 if half of imported fruit and vegetables were replaced by homegrown produce. This would see the UK growing 66 per cent of its fruit and vegetables, bolstering food security while adding at least £1.9bn to the economy.

The analysis found that indoor production will be vital to this expansion. Of the additional farmgate value delivered, 68 per cent would be from new indoor production which enables a year round supply of fresh produce, irrespective of volatile supply chains and weather conditions. Furthermore, per area of land, glasshouses produce ten to 20 times more food compared to traditional open field farming, while using up to 90 per cent less water, reducing pressure on land.

This also affords an opportunity to shift imports from climate vulnerable regions, and indoor production abroad, to the UK. However, profitable, sustainable production will depend on investment in efficiency and access to reliable, renewable and affordable energy sources.

An effective sector growth plan should work with England’s Land Use Framework to expand horticulture without expanding production onto lowland peat needed a carbon sinks. Which, along with long-term finance, planning and infrastructure means governmental policy and action.

Meanwhile, new drought-resistant crops might face a ban if the Government purses closer alignment on food products with the EU. Gene-edited crops, which are not the same as genetically modified, can make crops such as wheat more robust. The UK has become a leader in the precision-bred crop technology, which promises better harvests globally, and their development has boomed since Brexit.

---