The extent to which climate change and biodiversity loss have an influence on the UK food chain will be the subject of testimony before the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).
The 22 March session, which will be televised on Parliament TV, will examine the effects that biodiversity loss and climate change may have on the availability of food on store shelves.
The EAC will question experts and industry leaders about current shortages as part of the investigation.
The first panel will discuss scientific research on how resilient food is to the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as the potential effects of consuming less meat and dairy on the UK’s capacity to farm sustainably and reach its net-zero targets.
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The government’s Food Strategy and proposed Environmental Land Management scheme and Land Use Strategy will also be considered.
Speakers include City University London’s Professor Tim Lang, Dr Monica Zurek of the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, and Dr Elizabeth Boakes, a research fellow at the Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, University College London.
The second panel will include representatives from McCain Food and the Food & Drink Federation alongside the founder of Riverford Organics, Guy Singh-Watson.
Issues the EAC is likely to explore with the witnesses include the impact of extreme weather in 2022/23 on supply chains, the government’s Food Resilience Industry Forum, and water scarcity.
Story adapted from Fresh Produce Journal
