My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for what in many respects has been a heartfelt debate. References to words like “important” set the tone in which your Lordships have spoken. I am very mindful of your Lordships’ recent report Hungry for Change. In that context, I understand all the sentiments that have been expressed.
In thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, for her amendment and for speaking to Amendments 161 and 162, I should say that it is this Government who have brought forward the food security provision. I am grateful to my noble friend the Duke of Montrose and others for at least saying that the Government have brought this forward. Having heard some of the commentary of noble Lords, I could wonder if that had ever been the case.
As I have previously stated, the food security report will be a significant body of work that will use a set of core measurements and indicators for each of the key topic areas. It will go beyond what food security data we currently publish. This will allow consideration of the trends, many of which are slow-moving and do not change significantly year on year over a longer period.
Taking a holistic approach, we will consider food security in its complete form, from the global availability of food to UK availability and access. We will use data drawn from a blend of national and international data sources, including UK national statistics as well as data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The requirement to report within at least a five-year period allows time to observe key trends from a variety of sources. This would not be possible over a significantly shorter period. While we are committing to reporting within at least a five-year frequency, we consider this a maximum period. When we are able to publish the first report will depend upon a range of factors, including the availability of statistical data. Of course, we certainly will not wait for the end of the five-year period to publish the first report, which will include analysis of the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some of the datasets that will be considered in the food security report are published and made publicly available annually; certain noble Lords know very well that all this data is reported annually. Defra officials routinely track these reports to spot any unexpected or significant changes. For example, the excellent Agriculture in the United Kingdom statistics that Defra publishes alongside departments in the devolved Administrations come out annually, as do the world food production and calorie statistics produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Government intend that the report will consider these and less frequently produced data to provide deeper analysis to help us identify longer-term trends to support the development of policy for the future—a point remarked upon by my noble friend Lady Neville-Rolfe, with her unparalleled experience of the food industry, and indeed by my noble friend Lady Chisholm in her important contribution.
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I turn now to Amendment 171. Our food security depends on supply from diverse sources. According to newly available statistics published on 26 June this year, we produce 64% of our entire food supply need and that figure rises to 77% for food that we can grow or rear here in the United Kingdom for all or part of the year. My noble friend Lord Caithness emphasised the important point that we also have access to a diverse range of supply through international trade, partly for consumer choice and to supplement domestic production but also to ensure that any disruption from risks to our domestic production, such as adverse weather or disease, does not affect the UK’s overall security of supply. It is this important balance that has helped us ensure that our food supply has remained resilient against a range of risks and hazards. The response by the food sector to the current coronavirus pandemic, from our farmers through to retailers and distributors, has shown the resilience of the UK food supply chains. I take this opportunity once again to recognise the supreme efforts of all in the food industry.
A number of amendments address the matters that should be considered in reports produced under Clause 17. Clause 17 has deliberately been kept wide in scope, as there will be many data sources to draw upon and there may well be many more in the future.
On Amendment 169, I can say to the noble Baroness, Lady Parminter, and put on record that food waste will be addressed in the report. There are about 4.5 million tonnes wasted annually; this is simply unacceptable and work must be progressed to ensure that we bear down on all fronts on that food waste. The point made by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, that if we can conquer food waste, there will be further availability of food, was very potent.
On Amendment 168, I say to the noble Baroness that the food security report will already cover, under paragraph (b), UK availability and access to food, the capability of UK agricultural production of crops and land-based products, as well as livestock and fisheries produce.
On Amendment 165, I note that food security is, as I think we all understand, a complex issue that cannot be entirely defined with very specific indicators. Clause 17 is intended to provide the flexibility and scope for the report to cover new and emerging themes if necessary—in addition to or, if appropriate, in place of those listed.
On Amendments 163 and 172, I will reread what my noble friend Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts said; I thought it was an important speech. I assure my noble friend that this analysis will consider data relating to global population growth, land use and water, among a wide range of other subjects. We will also draw on the latest national data sources, including statistics measuring UK availability and access to food.
I also endorse my noble friend’s point about this report needing to be a very important event. Candidly, I think an annual report—when there is so much that is already reported annually—does not get the point of what this substantial piece of work is intended to be. The purpose of the report is to provide insights into, and a detailed analysis of, that data. The timeframe under consideration will vary depending on the nature of the theme; however, it will generally take a 10-year forward look. It is therefore far more than just an exercise to collate and publish statistics.
I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Humphreys, that it is our intention that the report will inform future discussions and debate to shape future policy on UK food security to ensure that key challenges are met.
On Amendments 166 and 170, we are planning to include in the food security report a theme on global food security and how that affects food security in the UK. This will include consideration of the food system and the sustainability of our global resources. In producing the report, we will set out a wide range of statistics relating to food security in the UK, from global UN data to UK national statistics. When considering global food security, we would expect to consider, among many other things, global output per capita, cereal yield per region, country consumption data and country commodity trade proportions.
Henry Dimbleby, Defra’s lead non-executive director, is already leading an independent review of the food system—many of your Lordships have referred to this in this debate and others—to develop recommendations to shape a national food strategy. This will address the challenges of supporting people to eat healthy diets and reduce food waste, producing food sustainably and protecting national food security, while also looking at related issues such as the price of food and trade.
Turning to Amendments 164 and 167, Defra officials work very closely with their colleagues in the devolved Administrations on all matters relating to food security. I place on record, particularly for the noble Lord, Lord Hain, but also for the noble Baroness, Lady Humphreys, that we will be engaging fully with the devolved Administrations and a wide range of interested parties across the United Kingdom, in government, industry and academia, to produce the report. Nearly all the datasets used in producing the food security report are published at UK level, and breakdowns at devolved Administration or regional level will not be possible.
The report will inform wider discussion and debate about UK food security across government and with other stakeholders. We already have well-established fora through which we work on such matters and, I emphasise, share data with the devolved Administrations and other stakeholders. To introduce a more formal requirement would, in our view, not be necessary—it already happens. The Government intend to include household food security among the themes covered in the report under subsection (2)(d) and will of course consider it, with other themes in the report, with the devolved Administrations.
On Amendment 173, I noted earlier that Henry Dimbleby is already leading an independent review of the food system to develop recommendations for a national food strategy. Timing, I am afraid, I cannot organise; this work is already well in train. It is a hugely important area and I very much look forward to the recommendations.
While Defra has lead government department responsibility for food, many other departments across government have a very strong interest in it. The independent review team is engaging across Whitehall, as well as with partners across the whole food system, from farmers to consumers, to develop their recommendations. While the geographical scope of the strategy will cover England, the independent review team is also working closely with the devolved Administrations.
The Government will respond formally to the independent review’s recommendations in the form of a White Paper within six months of the release of the final report. We have commissioned very important work on a national food strategy, and our position is that we want to see what its recommendations are. We will be bringing forward a White Paper.
This is an area of considerable importance to the health and well-being of every person who lives in this country, and I hope that the noble Baroness, and all noble Lords, will accept the bona fides of the Government in putting Clause 17 in the Bill, and the reasons why this report needs to be substantial. I can provide every annual statistic on this matter that any noble Lord might wish to have. The point about this report and its seriousness, however, is that it must be done in depth and it must cover very considerable areas across the world. Those statistics may not necessarily be available every year. I emphasise that if noble Lords want a quick fix, I can give them every bit of annual data that exists—and it is very considerable—but a report of this depth and importance needs to be well considered. I hope I have not overstretched the Committee’s patience in emphasising how substantial this work must be.
For the reasons I have given, I very much hope that the noble Baroness will feel able to withdraw her amendment on this occasion.