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Britain's Sunak promises concentrate on food security in speech to farmers

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured a brand-new focus on food security on Tuesday, responding to criticism from farmers that agriculture is being not provided the exact same tactical significance as energy and the environment.

Food security is an essential part of our nationwide security and recent years have brought home the fact of that, Sunak told the National Farmers' Union (NFU) conference, noting Russia's. invasion of Ukraine 2 years ago triggered a rise in food and. energy rates.

Sunak announced a series of measures including increased. moneying for some farming schemes and the annual publication of a. food security index.

Britain, which left the European Union in 2020, now has its. own farming policy after many years coming under the EU. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

I know the shift from CAP has been discouraging, taken. time and I value the understanding that we didn't always get. the balance precisely right, Sunak, the first prime minister to. address the NFU conference considering that 2008, said.

NFU President Minette Batters, in the run-up to an expected. basic election later on this year, contacted all political. celebrations to commit to offering food security the same strategic. priority as the environment and energy.

There is currently an imbalance between environment and. food production in federal government policy. We need to see changes this. year to redress this before many more farms just merely. disappear, she said.

There have been prevalent farmer protests across Europe in. current weeks, consisting of France, Belgium, the Netherlands,. Poland, Italy and Greece, over a variety of concerns including. increasing energy expenses and competitors from low-cost imports.

Here in the UK, we share European farmers' issues and. aggravation, Batters said. Years of unsustainably high. production expenses and crop losses because of severe weather are. putting farming families under mounting pressure..

(source: Reuters)