Country Life commentator Agromenes is calling for a serious reassessment of our food cultivation and consumption habits.
The persistent rains remind me of Feste’s song, as only 4x4s can navigate from home to the village, and our guests had to avoid the flooded main road. The sight of water spilling from the fields and the formation of small lakes is disheartening. With the ground saturated, horses huddle on the only dry patch left. Efforts by the Woodland Trust volunteers to plant trees are at risk as saplings are submerged in areas previously untouched by floods.
Waterlogged fields have made harvesting difficult, resulting in a sharp increase in potato prices — more than 20% in the last month. Organic farmers are having to replant washed-away fertility crops, leading to grazing delays for sheep. The relentless rain puts the usual end-of-February spring sowing in jeopardy.
“British food processors are discounting their UK-sourced produce, as they believe our farmers will be hard put to maintain supplies”
With the soil too wet and grim weather forecasts, even British food processors are reducing prices, concerned that continued wet weather will affect our farmers’ capacity to provide sufficient produce.
The ongoing warm global climate is alarming, with record warmth in February after the hottest late months of last year. Such high temperatures in Spain, and parts of the US practically skipping winter, have made the UK government take note. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent steps for food security are early efforts to face the reality that food choices are narrowing and prices are inflating, not just here but globally. This can lead to shortages, political issues, and troubles, particularly for poorer nations facing hunger and instability that drive migration.
“In the 1940s, food consumed roughly 33% of the average income; today it is 12%”
Farmers, amidst these challenges, are not being fairly compensated for their produce. Across Europe, including in Britain, protests are illustrating the unsustainable nature of government policies geared towards keeping food cheap. Despite this, governments are insisting on increased local production, while also upholding environmental and public accessibility standards.
While we demand so much, we aren’t willing to bear the true cost of food production, either through market prices or subsidies. To secure the ‘public goods,’ we must be prepared to pay, not just for environmental conservation but also a fair cost for the food we consume. Our financial priorities have changed drastically from the 1940s, when a third of our income went to food, compared to just 12% today. It wasn’t an issue pre-World War II, but now, food security is crucial. The inescapable truth is that affluent societies must adjust and start paying the real price for our most basic necessity.
