Our food system is under growing pressure. Recent geopolitical shocks such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown just how tenuous global supply chains can be. But this isn’t just a question of disrupted tankers in international supply chains – this has a real impact on people, families and communities. Food inflation hit a 45-year high in 2023, and remains stubbornly above recent norms. On the ground, families on the lowest incomes have felt it most, with more than six in ten in deprived areas saying they have cut back on food.
At the same time, we face the deeper existential challenge of feeding a growing population while reversing biodiversity loss and meeting climate targets. Global food demand is set to rise by more than 50 per cent by 2050, while the area of arable land available will remain the same or decline. To avoid a return to a hungrier world, we must produce more food while reducing the environmental cost.
With the right tools, we can grow more with less. This is known as “sustainable intensification”. It is not about farming harder, but farming smarter, using innovation to protect yields and biodiversity at the same time.
The UK, which has a relatively small but already highly productive agricultural industry as well as scientific and technical expertise, has an opportunity to lead the way in this.
Plant Protection Products (PPPs) remain one of the most important tools in an arable grower’s toolbox. Without them, between 30 and 40 per cent of harvests would be lost to weeds, pests and diseases. In the UK, cereal crops, which make up a huge proportion of our diet and provide more than half of animal feedstock, are particularly vulnerable.
In the public imagination, perceptions of PPPs are still rooted in tropes from the 1960s and 70s. The truth is that, since that time, there have been considerable and significant changes, both in the products themselves and in how they are regulated. PPPs are among the most tightly regulated products in the world, and in the UK in particular.
Modern PPPs are safer, break down faster, and work at far lower doses, and their total usage has fallen markedly since the 1990s. Growers using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques now use PPPs as part of a basket of tools working together to protect crops, operators and the natural environment.
PPPs are safe and remain central to our national food security. Hundreds of millions of pounds are invested in the UK and around the world in the development of new and more effective products. The challenge for British growers is not availability: it is access. Without an enabling and proportionate regulatory regime that keeps pace with innovation, UK growers risk missing out on the safest and most effective products.
Innovation is not limited to PPPs. Every year improvements are made in how PPPs are applied, and exciting developments are just around the corner. Tools that would have sounded liked science fiction only a few decades ago, such as GPS-guided sprayers, big data and on-plant sensors, are now in day-to-day use. Drone delivery and even more precise applications are also a real possibility, if regulation acknowledges their potential. Modern application technologies mean that such inputs, like PPPs, need only be applied when and where they are required, reducing waste and minimising environmental impact.
Emerging agricultural technologies will take this even further. Advances in data, artificial intelligence and genetics will give farmers the tools to make decisions with pinpoint accuracy, building resilience in the face of climate extremes and ensuring every field is managed more efficiently.
New and existing agricultural technologies are not about returning shareholder value, or making a few large agricultural conglomerates more profitable. They benefit consumers. Ensuring a predictable, reliable and affordable domestic supply of food not only keeps supermarket shelves full, it keeps them diverse and affordable.
When crops fail, prices rise, and the most vulnerable in our society suffer. The geopolitically driven crises of 2022 and 2023 showed how quickly the cost of food can rise. For the poorest families in our society, who spend a greater share of their income on food, these shocks can be devastating. Embracing sustainable intensification is a decision the government could take today to protect the most vulnerable from these shocks.
The UK’s agri-food sector already contributes £50bn a year to the economy and supports more than a million jobs. The right policy tweaks could ensure that it grows even more and helps deliver more affordable, safe and nutritious food.
The changes needed are not dramatic and would not result in weakened protections for consumers or for our natural environment. We first need to embrace a timely, predictable and science-led regulatory system that sees new and more efficacious products made available to growers. Second, we need to support our home-grown research and technology – not just in its development and export, but in its adoption here in the UK. And finally, the government needs to back British growers with open and honest communication about the safety and impact of PPPs and other technologies.
If we take these early steps, we will not only see more effective products entering the market and ensure improved national food security. We will also ensure that we have a prosperous and vibrant community of growers who can invest in emerging technologies.
Sustainable intensification is not theory. It is the only practical way to meet the triple challenge of food security, biodiversity and climate. PPPs are not the dirty secret of modern agriculture; they are safe, highly regulated and vital tools that promote food security.
The choice for the UK is a simple one. Do we want to lead the world, or do we want to fall further behind? British growers want to deliver affordable, nutritious food, protect the environment and strengthen the economy; they just need the means to do it. Without the right tools, we risk exposing ourselves to higher prices, a narrowing choice, and a greater reliance on imports, which often do not meet our own high production standards.
Since the agricultural revolution in the 19th century, Britain has led the world in agricultural innovation. Today, we are falling behind. This is not through a lack of solutions, but from policy decisions and policy inertia. Whether we lead or lag is for the Government to decide, one which has consequences for us all.
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