News • Good Food Trade Campaign
Leading food policy thinkers call for vision and action on Brexit
Three professors who have spent their careers analysing food governance have produced a report identifying no fewer than 16 issues on which a disorderly exit from the EU could imperil the security of Britain's food supply.
Professors Tim Lang, Terry Marsden and Erik Millstone are all highly respected commentators on food and farming. Professor Lang was a founder of Sustain, and is based at the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London, part of the Sustain alliance.
In this detailed report, they conclude that the implications of Brexit for food are potentially enormous, and are being neglected by the Government. Their verdict applies whether there is a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit. Given the extent to which the UK food system, consumer tastes and prices have all become thoroughly 'Europeanised', they argue that it will be impossible to disentangle the ties by March 2019 without very significant consequences. Amid such uncertainty, there are real challenges to UK food security.
Above all, the authors call for a vision -- some agreement and clarity about what the goals of any post-EU food system would be. They remind policy-makers that any plan must address the sustainability challenge, which encompasses ecosystems, social and public health issues. Read A Food Brexit: time to get real here.
The Sustain alliance campaigns for greener, fairer and healthier food systems, for everyone. We are helping to coordinate the activities of a number of organisations for a Better Food Britain after Brexit. Read more and support us here.
Published Friday 21 July 2017
Good Food Trade Campaign: Campaigning for good trade that benefits people and the planet at home and overseas.
