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Over 150 Experts Warn Britain Lacks Crisis Food Plan

By Drooid · Oct 5, 2026, 6:01 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Experts Warn UK

Over 150 experts warned Britain it lacks a crisis food-security plan.
They said climate crisis, geopolitical shocks and cyber-attacks threaten the UK food chain.
Letter said UK has no national food storage since WWII stockpile ended in the 1990s.
It called for local food-resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
It recommended national, regional, local and community food storage schemes.

Summary

Trump Faces Export Ban

President Donald Trump faces Republican pressure to impose a 90-day diesel export ban, threatening UK supplies.
UK diesel price rose above £2 per litre, a record level.
55% of UK road diesel is imported, up from 14% in 2003.
Britain’s diesel reserve covers only 42 days, the lowest among major economies.
Elizabeth de Jong, Fuels Industry UK chief executive, urged the Autumn Budget to support domestic refiners.

History

Historical Context

The 1973 OPEC oil embargo, which halted 70 % of Britain’s crude imports, forced the government to create a strategic petroleum reserve. Prime Minister Edward Heath and the Department of Energy announced a £1 billion stockpiling program in 1974, targeting 90 days of fuel and 30 % of national grain supplies. Today's expert warnings about the UK's depleted diesel reserves and absent food-storage plan echo those 1970s shortages, as 55 % of diesel now arrives from abroad, double the 2003 share. Consequently, policymakers revisit the 1970s reserve strategy, urging the Civil Contingencies Act framework and domestic refinery incentives to prevent future supply crises.

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Experts Warn UK

Over 150 experts warned Britain it lacks a crisis food-security plan.
They said climate crisis, geopolitical shocks and cyber-attacks threaten the UK food chain.
Letter said UK has no national food storage since WWII stockpile ended in the 1990s.
It called for local food-resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
It recommended national, regional, local and community food storage schemes.

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