Agriculture and environment must 'share the stage'.

PRODUCTIVE agriculture must share the stage with the environment if the UK is to secure food production, says NFU President Peter Kendall.

His statement comes as the Efra Select Committee launches its inquiry into securing food supplies for the next 40 years.

Set against a context of growing world population, volatile food markets and a changing climate, the NFU congratulates Efra on this extremely timely inquiry, which it believes should focus on the role that British agriculture can play in addressing domestic and international food needs.

Mr Kendall said: "We have seen numerous reports into the challenges we face in feeding a growing population while mitigating our impact on the environment. But the time has come for Government to look at the role British agriculture has to play in responding to domestic and world food needs, an aspect that has been hitherto largely overlooked.

"While public attention is rightly focused on the economy, we must remember that the challenges faced by the UK, and the rest of the world, in securing food supplies in the future are very real." However the NFU also believes there are weaknesses within the supply chain which impact on its ability to deliver, including:

Current abuse of power by major grocery retailers.

Continued under-investment in primary research and development for agri-sciences leading to a lack of effective knowledge transfer.

Labour availability and a growing skills gap.

Mr Kendall said: "I would echo calls I made more than a year ago for an 'early warning system' to monitor changes in agricultural production and undertake systematic investigation when production falls in a given sector."