Lib Dem Conference shows momentum is growing for action on food and farming

Good Food Bill gains momentum

Our time in sunny Brighton began with a packed out fringe event on the Good Food Bill, co-hosted by us and The Food Foundation. Sarah Dyke MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for rural affairs, made clear her strong support for the Bill, which she has already brought before the House of Commons as a Presentation Bill. Councillor Chloe Maysfield of Powys County Council brought a view from the ground. As coordinator of the Powys Food Partnership, she described what becomes possible locally when national government lends its support, as the Welsh Government does by funding a food partnership in every local authority.

They were joined by Dawn Dublin, co-founder of Black Butterfly and of the African Caribbean Heritage Food Network, Edwin Brooks, founder of Ed's Veg, a community-focused commercial market garden in Hampshire, and Jo Ralling of The Food Foundation. Ed's work shows what market gardening can offer, bringing fresh, locally grown food to the communities around it. It is an area where we would like to see the Liberal Democrats offer stronger support, helping more growers like Edwin get started and thrive. The questions that followed showed an audience keen to see change, echoing polling in which 79% of Liberal Democrat voters back a Good Food Bill, the highest of any voter group.

The appetite for change carried through into a panel we ran with Nesta as part of the Recipe for Change coalition, focused on making healthier food easier to access. Marie Goldman MP was joined by Andrew George MP, whose Health Select Committee has recently published a welcome report on healthy diets.

Connecting farming, health and food security

Some of the most striking contributions of the conference came from Alistair Carmichael MP, Chair of the EFRA Committee. Speaking at an NFU breakfast, he told the room of farmers and agricultural policy experts that when families cannot afford enough food, farmers lose customers. Food poverty and food production are too often discussed in separate rooms, so it was heartening to hear a senior parliamentarian bring them together.

That same joined-up thinking also surfaced at the British Berry Growers' fringe panel. The Berry Growers are a familiar presence at autumn conferences, but this year their message had changed. Recognising that a food environment dominated by junk food leaves less room for fresh fruit, they announced plans to campaign for advertising restrictions to extend to billboards and bus stops. It is a timely response to the Chief Medical Officer's own comments at the conference, asking to hear more from businesses, such as fresh produce growers, that stand to benefit from such restrictions.

Food security takes centre stage

The conference closed on a high with a debate on food security. Opening it, Sarah Dyke made the case for the Feeding Britain: A Food Security Emergency motion. It calls for a Good Food Bill for England backed by a £1 billion increase to the farming budget.

Alongside the Good Food Bill, we were delighted to see the motion call for Local Food Plans across England, with local authorities assessing whether everyone in their area can access nutritious food and connecting this to local supply chains and economic growth. Its inclusion is a direct result of campaigning by Sustain and our members, and it builds on work already under way through Good Food Local and the Sustainable Food Places network. Caroline Voaden MP, the party's education spokesperson, strengthened this further with an amendment on children going hungry, calling for local food plans for schools that connect them with local producers of fresh, seasonal food.

Further amendments added support for alternative proteins and a stronger focus on preparing for disruption to food supply chains. Another addressed food security for disabled people, noting that disabled households are five times more likely to be food insecure. Sustain warmly welcomes this. Any serious approach to food security and resilience must put those on the lowest incomes, and those most likely to face barriers to accessing food in a crisis, at its heart. Alistair Carmichael MP, summing up, returned to his theme, calling for a food system built for "just in case" rather than "just in time".

Farming and nature should go hand in hand

The debate also brought a point of difference however. Tim Farron MP, the Liberal Democrats' senior DEFRA spokesperson, said he would like to return to paying farmers in England "to produce food", signalling a move away from the principle of public money for public goods. This sits uneasily with the motion conference passed, which states that caring for nature and producing food go hand in hand. It calls for enhanced payments through Environmental Land Management schemes and for the Sustainable Farming Incentive to be permanently reopened.

Sustain firmly supports the principle of public money for public goods. Restoring nature is fundamental to our long-term food security, as the Government's national security assessment on biodiversity made clear earlier this year. Recent days have shown that the system administering the Sustainable Farming Incentive needs urgent attention, but the principle behind it remains the right one, and it is one the party's own members have just endorsed.

What's next

We left Brighton with a clear sense that, with 71 MPs, the Liberal Democrats are an important voice for food and farming in this Parliament. With a hung parliament a realistic prospect after the next election, that voice could carry real weight. Sustain, together with our members and partners, will be working closely with the Liberal Democrat Defra team in the months ahead. Our focus will be on building support for a Good Food Bill and making the case that investing in nature-friendly farming, including agroecology and market gardening, is essential to a resilient food system.