The reasons behind increasing food prices and what the Government can do about this will be considered at an evidence session of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee at 1430 HRS on Tuesday 8 November in Committee Room 6 of the House of Commons.
The session will focus on how rising production costs are affecting the food supply chain – including farmers, processors, retailers and consumers. It will look at how rising prices are affecting what farmers decide to plant, who is paying for the high cost of production and how higher costs are affecting what consumer are buying. It will also consider what the Government can do to improve UK food security, including how we balance growing food domestically with the other pressures on the land.
Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border, and Member of the EFRA Committee said:
“I have triggered this important Inquiry on Food Security on our Cross Party EFRA Select Committee (Conservative, Labour and SNP MPs). We continue our work with a public session looking at the key pressures driving up food production costs and consequently the cost of food for UK households. Hearing evidence from key stakeholders in farming and food will help us make clear recommendations to Government about what we need to do to support our UK farmers and to bolster our nation’s food security which has come into sharp relief in the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.”
The witnesses are:
Panel 1
· Ed Barker, Head of Policy and External Affairs, Agricultural Industries Confederation
· Minette Batters, President, National Farmers Union
· Will Jackson, Sector Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
Panel 2
· Andrew Opie, Director of Food Sustainability, British Retail Consortium
· David Thomson, Director of Strategy & Devolved Nations and CEO Scotland, Food and Drink Federation
· James Walton, Chief Economist, Institute of Grocery Distribution
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Members of the press and public are welcome to attend evidence sessions of select committees or they can watch on parliamentlive.tv
