Since the early 1990's, organic farming in the UK has expanded rapidly and by mid 2003 accounted for 4% of the agricultural land area with nearly 4000 farms managing some 720,000 hectares. This growth has been driven by consumers and policy makers who see organic farming as making a contribution to environmental, welfare, social and nutritional goals. It is one of a number of sustainable food production strategies; integrated farming being another, less restrictive option for farmers.
Within
the UK, agriculture is often criticised for the production of cereals
in excess of national demand. Where "overproduction" in some sectors
is regarded as wasteful and unsustainable, "underproduction" in others
is ignored. We consider the balance of trade in foods, self sufficiency
and overproduction.
Barley
is less important with an annual harvest of around 7 million tonnes,
but with a greater proportion exported. Net exports of both wheat and
barley total around 4 million tonnes annually and provide a balance
of trade surplus of approximately £300 million. While the UK's
self sufficiency in these products is often criticised internally as
being wasteful, this surplus covers less than 10% of the defecit in
fruit and vegetables.
Oats
remain in plentiful supply in the UK, however with only a small area
grown, exports rarely exceed £7 million in value.
The
UK has not yet achieved regular self sufficiency in oil seed rape and
imports are necessary to meet local demand for this important vegetable
oil. The often misplaced assumption that it is just grown for subsidies,
is starkly exposed.
The
UK climate is ideally suited to the production of potatoes which for
two centuries have formed a key staple in the diet. Even so, production
remains insufficient to meet demand and substantial imports in both
processed and raw potatoes are necessary.
In
parts of the Midlands and East Anglia, sugar beet is an important crop,
both for its profiability and as part of the crop rotation. Sugar beet
is processed into refined sugar, some of which is exported. Overall
self sufficiency in refined sugar is between 60 and 70%
Production
of field and protected vegetables is around 150,000 hectares. Relatively
little is exported and with overall self sufficiency at around 70%,
the balance of demand is mostly met by imports from the EEC. The principal
crops include: cabbage, carrot,cauliflower, lettuce, mushroom, peas
and tomatoes.
Although
the UK climate is not suitable for many of the fruits that are commonly
purchased in supermarkets, years of decline in the areas of both orchard
and soft fruits have left overall UK self sufficieny in fruits at little
more than 10%.
However
the UK may wish to "dress up" the efficiency of its agricultural sector,
the stark reality is that the trade defecit in foods is now nearly £10
billion per annum. The relatively small trade surplus in cereals barely
touches the defecit derived from imported foods and commodities that
cannot be grown in the UK.
The
UK is now less dependant upon agriculture as a % of GDP than any other
major nation, a statistic reflected in its inability to feed itself.
Self sufficiency in indiginous feeds is less than 80% and for all foods
nears 60%. As yet, the decline in overall self sufficiency is not seen
as an issue of strategic concern by UK policy makers.
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