After the House of Lords dubbed the future of the UK horticulture sector as 'bleak,' the Soil Association is calling for the government to double domestic fruit and vegetable production through nature-friendly farming. The warning was issued in a report published Monday, 6 November, by the cross-party House of Lords Horticultural Sector Committee.
The 'Sowing the Seeds: A Blooming English Horticultural Sector' report found that horticulture, a £5 billion industry that employs over 50,000 people, is under-prioritised by policymakers. This leaves UK food security vulnerable.
Earlier this year, the Soil Association appeared in parliament and submitted written evidence to the inquiry to call for an overhaul of the UK food system. With imports providing more than 80% of fruit and almost half of vegetables in the UK, the association wants to see a dramatic increase in fruit and veg produced here in Britain through nature-friendly, agroecological farming practices, including organic.
Source: soilassociation.org