Food 2030: the route to a sustainable future for farming and food?

Defra Secretary of State Hilary Benn launched the Government’s Food 2030 strategy at the Oxford Farming Conference on January 5th, saying, “We know we are at one of those moments in our history where the future of our economy, our environment, and our society will be shaped by the choices we make now".

Compassion in World Farming has been engaging on food and farming policy development with Defra and we are delighted that Food 2030 accepts much of our vision for a sustainable and humane future. The Defra strategy recognises the adverse impact of livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions on climate change and the pollution associated with overuse of agricultural chemicals.

Food 2030 aims to find a balance between increasing productivity and protecting the environment in order to feed a growing human population. Compassion’s new report, produced with Friends of the Earth, “Eating the Planet? How we can feed the world without trashing it”, provides a well-researched answer to this dilemma.

It is indeed possible to feed the predicted global population of 9 billion plus in 2050 by combining high-welfare free range and environmentally-friendly farming with a reduced global consumption of animal products. The two go hand in hand.

Compassion welcomes the references in Defra’s document to animal welfare and we are delighted that Mr Benn chose to give the following example in his speech to the Oxford Conference:

“A decade ago, only 16 per cent of eggs produced in the UK were free range. In the last ten years that’s more than doubled to just under 40 per cent. Waitrose, M&S and the Co-op now sell only free range or organic eggs. And with the UK 80 per cent self-sufficient in free-range eggs this is a great example of how our farmers have responded to what consumers want, to the benefit of both."

There are still unresolved issues, such as manipulating the diets of farm animals to reduce their methane emissions, a strategy hinted at in Food 2030. Compassion believes that any such changes should be screened for adverse health and welfare impacts before getting the go-ahead. Farm animals have for far too long been the victims of the push for high productivity in order to provide cheap food. We cannot allow them to become victims of the move to “green” agriculture at any price.

One of the Defra’s goals for 2030 is: “Farmers producing efficiently, sustainably and safely to high standards of animal welfare, with food production supporting our rural communities and contributing to UK and global food security.” Compassion wholly endorses this vision and we shall work diligently to help achieve it.

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The Compassion/FOE report "Eating the Planet? How we can feed the world without trashing it" is available in summary and in full.