We recently hosted a roundtable discussion with Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Robbie Moore MP, Shadow Farming Minister, and industry leaders from across the food and drink and animal rights sectors. The conversation was wide-ranging, but with the event taking place just days after the government’s Spending Review, one issue drew particular attention: the absence of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) from the Chancellor’s headline announcements.
The Spending Review outlined significant investment plans across several departments. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) secured one of the largest capital spending increases, with a projected 16% rise over the next five years, reaching £12.6 billion by 2028 - 29. Defence, health, and social care also featured prominently, underscoring government priorities in these areas.
In contrast, DEFRA was notably absent from the Chancellor’s key statements. Official documents reveal that DEFRA’s overall budget is set to decline by 2.7% between 2024 and 2029, amounting to an annual reduction of roughly £100 million for England’s farming budget.
This reduction comes at a challenging time for the sector. Adverse weather patterns have affected crop yields, recent revisions to Agricultural Property Relief and Inheritance Tax have generated concern, and ongoing supply chain disruptions continue to test resilience. Furthermore, uncertainty surrounding packaging reforms, particularly the cost implications of Extended Producer Responsibility and the Deposit Return Scheme, adds to the pressure, with industry leaders cautioning current proposals risk imposing unfair and impractical burdens on business.
While farming is a key focus, DEFRA’s remit extends well beyond. It encompasses sustainability, productivity, and resilience across agriculture, fishing, food, and drink sectors. It is also responsible for enhancing biosecurity at the border, improving animal welfare, protecting the environment, and supporting rural communities. Reduced funding therefore threatens the entire supply chain and the broader bioeconomy.
The Spending Review did confirm that farmers will benefit from £2.3 billion allocated to the Farming and Countryside Programme, alongside up to £400 million from additional nature focused projects. Support for Environmental Land Management Schemes is also expected to increase, rising from £800 million in 2023 - 24 to £2 billion by 2028 - 29. However, uncertainty remains over how these funds will be distributed and whether they will adequately support all farming businesses during this period of transition, particularly since DEFRA closed the Sustainable Farming Initiative entries earlier than expected without warning.
The current food security situation underscores the need for much stronger strategic action. As Professor Kevin Morgan, author of Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons recently put it, the current state of food resilience is akin to “living on a wing and a prayer.”
Despite Labour’s manifesto stating that “food security is national security,” the government’s recently published National Security Strategy offers only a limited and underwhelming response. While the strategy does acknowledge that hostile actors may seek to disrupt supply chains, including food, it once again stops short of action to strengthen domestic food resilience within the broader national security agenda.
Encouragingly, agri-tech was recently included within the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, an important signal that agriculture's role in long-term national resilience may yet gain the focus it needs. However, without a comprehensive and long-term strategy to safeguard domestic food production and support rural economies, the UK still risks neglecting a vital aspect of its national security. As highlighted during our roundtable but overlooked in the Spending Review and the National Security Strategy, food security deserves recognition as a core pillar of national resilience if the UK is to ensure a stable and sustainable future.