Defra, UK - About Defra - Ministers' speeches: Bullet point outline for speech by Jeff Rooker at the Westminster Diet and Health Forum, London

Never been a time when food and how it’s produced has been so high on the public agenda.
Market is changing fast. People want healthy and nutritious products produced with a low environmental impact from a sustainable source with high standards of animal welfare, clear provenance and environmentally sound distribution.
People want food that has not travelled far, but also that is affordable. It needs to be convenient and good value.
It’s a challenge for producers and also a great opportunity.

A competitive and sustainable industry that is successful because it gives customers what they want. Where subsidies for production are a thing of the past; We have a small countryside to work with, which is used for leisure and growing food.
An industry that looks to the taxpayer for the delivery of public environmental goods. That takes greater responsibility for animal health and welfare standards, an issue we are discussing constantly;
Agriculture restructure to meet long-term economic and environmental sustainability. This could mean more collaboration between farmers and along the food chain to ensure our own producers prosper, and we don’t export the environmental footprint of our own food production. Our farmers are notorious for not talking to each other.
Government is supporting these goals through the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy and through negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy.

Comprehensive, long term plan for the future development of the industry. Identifies how Government will work with the whole food chain to ensure a sustainable future for English farming and food. We need a European Policy and there are changes to come.
We want to see viable industries contributing to a better environment and healthy, prosperous communities.
We need to reconnect farmers with the market place and the rest of the food chain. Recent years have seen a disconnection. Reconnect the food chain with the countryside. Reconnect consumers with the countryside and how this country's farming and food industries produce safe, healthy and nutritious food.
David Miliband hosting a major conference tomorrow (Nov 29) that looks at the need for more healthy lifestyles among children through a better understanding of where their food comes from, and the food, farming and countryside sectors’ valuable contribution to the nation – in terms of recreation, culture, heritage, environment and health.
There is more information to come on the Year of Food and Farming but this is an important scheme. We need to do as much as we can with the money we have.

Regional and local food sourcing. Government providing £5m over 5 years to support the quality regional sector. So far over 3,900 producers have been supported and £5.1m in sales generated. Key activities - raising consumer awareness of quality regional food and facilitating the supply of that food to retailers and the food service industry.
Food and Health Action Plan. Increase consumption of fruit and veg (five a day); reduce intake of salt and saturated fat.

Want to help consumers make the choices they want. And to have a choice of where they buy food eg farmers markets, boxes, supermarkets and local stores.
Want retailers to ensure consumers have the info they need to make informed choices.
Evidence that retailers are doing this especially with respect to provenance of food. All the major retailers looking to increase sourcing food that has a clear regional provenance, to meet their customers’ demands.

Launch of a programme of support for quality regional food and drinks. It’s being taken forward by Food from Britain and includes a drive to raise awareness of the EU protected food name scheme and encourage more UK applications. Scheme offers a guarantee of provenance to the consumer.
Previous ERDP has helped establish new food processing businesses and outlets for regional and local produce.
Over £14m in grants given since 2000 under the new Agriculture Development Schemes, including awards to English Farming and Food Partnerships, Food Chain Centre and the Red Meat, Dairy and Cereals Industry Fora - to improve competitiveness. Collaboration is a key.
Food Industry Sustainability Strategy to help the sector contribute to the UK’s sustainability goal through its impact on producing healthy food and balanced diets; energy consumption, water use, waste generation, and transportation. Already had commitments from larger scale food processors and retailers.
Waste is a big issue in the food industry. Local planning is also an issue in terms of delivery times and increases in congestion.
Food Chain Centre. To encourage greater efficiency in the UK food chain.
English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP). To drive increase co-operation between farmers and the rest of the food chain.
Launch of a Public Sector Sustainable Food Procurement Initiative to encourage public sector purchasers to buy food in a manner which promotes sustainable development.

Public Sector has the power to influence good practice by exercising its own consumer rights.
Public procurement of food and catering accounts for £2bn in England.

Organic food makes an important contribution to out Sustainable Food and Farming Objectives.
By 2010 we want the UK share of the market for home-grown organic foods to have increased to 70 per cent – similar to conventional produce.
There have been major improvements in the last few years. Could be considerable improvements.

Consumers’ increasing taste for sustainable food helps address what the WWF calls One Planet Living. The need to live within our environmental means. To behave as if we really are relying on one planet’s resources instead of three. We need to live within our environmental means.
We need one planet farming that minimises the impact of food production and consumption on the environment. And maximises its contribution to the renewal of the natural environment.
We need to respect the limits of our natural resources, and nurture them. Farming must be net contributor to the environment.
Well produced, sustainable food creates a healthy nation and a healthy environment.
Our countryside is all man made, we need to look after them. Farming looks after the hills, there is only so much you can do with them.

Page published: 29 November 2006

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