Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts has warned that “well-intentioned but inconsistent government policy” could damage the UK’s farming sector.
Writing in The Times, Roberts said the UK food system was “at a crossroads” as policy introduced to help drive sustainable farming practices, could instead harm food production.
He said: “Concerns about the direction of policy combined with the system of farm payments post-Brexit have discouraged producers from investing, and there is real concern in farming communities about the unintended consequences for the future of UK food production.
“We all recognise the need to make our food system more sustainable, but the current approach risks inadvertently reducing the level of UK production. This will affect capacity here and lead to more imported food — which of course is less sustainable.”
Roberts will deliver the annual City Food Lecture at Guildhall in London tonight, which would set out “a vision for the future of the UK’s food industry”.
“We can build a more resilient and more sustainable food system, but only if everyone involved in the supply chain — retailers, suppliers, farmers and the government — are deeply committed and aligned to work together to drive long-term change and improvement,” he said.
“We need a policy framework which supports producers to sustain sufficient output in the UK, while encouraging biodiversity, reducing carbon and delivering regenerative farming to secure our food supply.”
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The Sainsbury’s CEO said that UK supermarkets have the “scale to make a difference”.
He added: “Historically the relationship between supermarkets and their suppliers has too often been too short-term and not built sufficiently on long-term partnership.
“This approach won’t work anymore. We are moving towards more longer-term agreements in key supply chains, giving farmers and suppliers the confidence to invest for the long term and improve their sustainability.”
The Sainsbury’s boss said the industry needed to work “collaboratively” to come up with system-wide solutions, and that the answer could not be to raise prices.
He said: “As the conduit between customers and suppliers, what we can do, and are committed to doing, is to help customers make healthier and more sustainable choices and choose more British food.
“A more resilient British food system isn’t just necessary to maintain and grow supply; it’ll also drive job creation and economic growth, protect the environment and encourage more people to share the joy of great British food.”
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