Britain has been fortunate to enjoy a long-period of food security – but this is rapidly changing. Global instability, climate change, price rises, and more costly imports have begun to erode the agri-food system the Britain has relied on for decades. International supply chains are more at risk than ever – evidenced by price spikes in fertiliser, oil and agricultural produce costs in recent times. This could expose us to a wider and more prolonged economic crisis – which hits the poorest hardest and harms everyone’s living standards – while making us more vulnerable internationally.

Its time Britain seeks to reimagine what’s possible for food security and the wider agri-food system. We must learn from what has worked in other countries to begin building a system which works better for consumers, producers and retailers and is less exposed to economic shocks. Rebuilding Britain’s domestic agri-food system – from farm to fork – with be central to achieving this objective.

The forthcoming 25-Year Farming Roadmap provides the ideal opportunity to begin this transformation of the agri-food system in England. The Farming Roadmap will set out a plan to increase food production, business resilience and nature restoration across Britain’s agricultural and rural communities – taking a long-term view of system evolution.

The Co-operative Party believes this is a unique opportunity to strengthen the co-operative agriculture sector – increasing the presence and density of co-operation in agricultural communities. This could help move us move towards international peer countries, such as The Netherlands, Denmark and France, which have significantly higher co-operative density and outperform the UK on food security metrics, based on the Global Food Security Index.

The Co-operative Party has advocated for a significantly larger role for co-operatives in the agri-food sector by 2050, linking up with the Government’s wider double the size of the co-operative sector ambition. Our recent report, Building Resilience: The Case for Co-operative Agriculture, made the case for this objective as a vital part of delivering the long-term vision of the 25 Year Farming Roadmap. As the report demonstrated, achieving this co-operative growth would be influential in raising farmer incomes, improving agricultural sustainability and creating stronger supply chains for food security.  The report was clear that, as with the wider double the size of the co-operative sector commitment, achieving agri-food co-op growth will require building a supportive legislative, regulatory and financial framework which is attune to the specific needs of the co-operative model. Learning from best practice in the co-operative agriculture sector – domestically and internationally – will help to make this long-term vision a reality.

The threats to our food security can no longer be ignored. A long-term plan is needed to ensure co-operation can play its role in a strong, resilient agri-food system which makes us all healthier, wealthier and more sustainable.