Farming Groups call on UK Government to Save UK Fruit & Veg

Sustain has joined forces with the Soil Association and The Wildlife Trusts to send an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer emphasising the profound benefits government intervention could bring to both the production and consumption of fruit and vegetables in the UK. This could provide benefits for the farming community and improve national diets.

The letter highlights that, with the Prime Minister's intervention, "growers can be empowered to grow more and in a nature-friendly way, like our organic and regenerative producers who are nurturing the land, restoring wildlife, and protecting waterways." Notable signatories of the letter include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Chris Van Tulleken, Sarah Langford, and Guy-Singh Watson.

Commenting on the letter, Soil Association senior policy officer Lucia Monje-Jelfs said:

“British fruit and veg is in crisis. Our diets are costing the NHS billions every year and the countries we import from are being hit by the impacts of climate change. We should be increasing our homegrown produce. But instead, many growers fear for the survival of their businesses and our fruit and vegetable consumption has fallen to the lowest level in half a century. If we scaled up agroecological horticulture, boosting access to healthy and sustainable food across the country, we could help to reverse the public health disaster, slash farming emissions, and restore wildlife. The next government must act to support the country’s growers.”

This letter follows a recent report co-authored by Sustain, The Soil Association, and The Wildlife Trusts, which raises the alarm about the heavy reliance on imports for most of the fruit and nearly half of the vegetables consumed in the UK, while less than a third of the population meets the recommended five-a-day intake.

The report urges the new Labour government to revive and expand on the UK horticulture strategy, which was discontinued last year. It also calls for increased government funding for nature-friendly fruit and vegetable production, including organic farming, and tailored support for small-scale growers. It highlights the need to transition away from peat farming and emphasises significant investment in farmer-led research to promote sustainable and nature-friendly farming methods on peatlands, as well as scaling up production in other regions, including field-scale horticulture.

Will White, report co-author and Sustainable Farming Coordinator at Sustain, said:

“The UK stands at a critical juncture in its approach to food production and public health. Our current food system is not only failing our health, with diet-related diseases costing the NHS billions annually, but also leaving our growers vulnerable to unrelenting market pressures and climate impacts. Given this new era of increasing climatic and geopolitical instability, it’s imperative that the new government backs domestic fruit and vegetable production with the robust policies outlined in this report, which include substantial investments in public procurement of homegrown produce, local food hubs, peri-urban farming, and farmer-led research. We must also ensure fairness and flexibility in supply chains to create the level playing field needed for our growers to thrive.”

Vicki Hird, strategic lead on agriculture for The Wildlife Trusts and co-author of the report, said:

“Transforming our fruit and vegetable growing sector is vital for our health, climate, nature, and for the precious lowland peat habitats that are currently destroyed by growing these products. We need to ensure we can grow more fruit and vegetables everywhere – and do this using sustainable methods that don’t harm the climate, and that work alongside nature using integrated pest management. Growers need to be supported in this period of change and must be treated fairly in the marketplace so that the transition to nature-friendly growing can happen for the long term.”

To support this initiative, you can add your name to the campaign.