Govt has failed to address climate crisis and UK risks being unable to produce enough food, says prominent think tank

The report’s key recommendations are as follows:

A package of support for farmers: The report recommends that the government allocate £2.4 billion a year for the next decade in England for environment. This includes a long-term budget for farming and land management payments based on environmental need. Sustain has long been calling for a renewed ELM with a clearer vision and set of objectives. 

Deliver the promised land use framework: The report recommends a target to shift 32-57% of farmland by 2050 away from being used for rearing or feeding livestock, and towards nature restoration and natural carbon sequestration. The framework should reflect the desirability of reducing land used for animal feed, meat, and dairy production. Last year, Sustain gave oral evidence to the House of Lords Land Use committee and collated key principles for a land use framework here, including the need to consider rural, peri-urban and urban land. 

Fast-track the creation of new statutory codes of conduct for fair supply chain practice: Among others, these codes should include minimum standards, legally binding rules on price negotiations and the ability to fine. In the spring of this year, Sustain and our members wrote to the Secretary of State calling for the delayed statutory Codes of Conduct. 

Food partnership and council lead in food in every area: These would support a significant uplift in local food strategies which account for local concerns and dynamics, and coordinate activities, aligned with national priorities and targets. This mirrors a major ask of government from the Sustainable Food Places Network, who were in parliament last month calling for more investment in food and farming. 

Introduce a non-essential food levy on products high in sugar, fat and salt: The report recommends an 8% levy on non-essential foods with a calorie density greater than 275kcal/100g.  

Introduce Universal School Meals: Sustain is currently leading a campaign calling on the Government to ‘Say Yes’ to school food for all and end means testing for food by 2030. 

New primary legislation should subject food imports to core environmental and animal welfare standards: This would ensure imports are produced to the same environmental, climate, animal welfare, workers’ rights, and food safety standards as domestic produce. Sustain supports the need for core standards for all food sold in the UK, both domestically produced and imports.

Create higher food standards for public procurement: This will increase market opportunities for high welfare, nature and climate-friendly food. This should involve tightening the definitions of ‘locally sourced’ and ‘higher environmental standards’, as used in the government’s current commitments.

 

Read the IPPR report: Reaping the rewards: Cultivating a fair transition for farming