Food 2030: An online discussion
Defra have launched, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency) an online discussion document to invite your comments about the future of food and what our food system might look like in 2030. Sections on:
>The food system of 2030 –what our food system could look like in 2030
>Discussion topics – the nine top issues affecting, or affected by, the way we in the UK produce and consume food, including climate change, diet-related ill-health and maintaining a thriving food economy
>An action plan – early thoughts on how we can reach our goal for 2030. Pressure groups question whether Defra will be able to deliver. 'Although it has recognised the need to cut carbon emissions from the food industry, the Government has neglected to set out plans for the most damaging sector, meat and dairy, which creates more climate-changing emissions than all the world's transport,' said Friends of the Earth's Food Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. 'Growing soy for UK animals in intensive farms is driving deforestation and biodiversity loss in South America - the best solution is a switch to small-scale, local farming and home-grown feeds. We should support farmers in the UK to produce planet-friendly food that will boost the economy, cut carbon emissions and improve food security,' she said.
A Scientist’s View. Dr David Garwes, an independent livestock scientist, concludes grassland farmers make a considerable contribution to food security while continuing to reduce their environmental impact. His report, Reducing Emissions from Livestock, released by RASE, says livestock farmers make an important contribution in the fight against climate change. He said: “More than 60 per cent of British agricultural land is grassland and much of it, particularly the hills and uplands, is unsuitable for other crops. Semi-permanent rough grazing and improved grasslands play a vital role in locking up carbon dioxide and regulating the flow of rain into water courses. Without livestock farming, those natural resources would be abandoned and the landscape would soon change beyond recognition.”
