Story perspectives

Food Foundation urges UK to boost domestic horticulture investment

8/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Food Foundation urges the UK government to invest in domestic horticulture.
Eighteen of the UK’s top-20 fruit and veg suppliers are climate-vulnerable countries.
Britain imports about 80 % of fruit, 47 % of vegetables and 40 % of food overall.
Expanding horticulture could add billions, create over 20,000 jobs and raise overall profits by 3 %.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced £65 million drought aid to support sustainable practices for farmers.

History

Historical Context

In 1939 the British government enacted the Emergency Powers Act, granting the Ministry of Agriculture authority to convert pasture into arable land. The wartime plough-up program lifted domestic food output from 33 % of calories in 1939 to 44 % by 1944, establishing a precedent that the 1972 Food Security Act echoed to boost self-sufficiency.

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Story summary

The Food Foundation urges the UK government to invest in domestic horticulture.
Eighteen of the UK’s top-20 fruit and veg suppliers are climate-vulnerable countries.
Britain imports about 80 % of fruit, 47 % of vegetables and 40 % of food overall.
Expanding horticulture could add billions, create over 20,000 jobs and raise overall profits by 3 %.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced £65 million drought aid to support sustainable practices for farmers.

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