Factory farming is undermining UK food security, a new report warns (Image: We Animals/Tom Woollard)
Factory farming is undermining UK food security, a new report warns.
Intensive farming costs the taxpayers millions in subsidies, culls when diseases erupt and environmental damage, according to the research by the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF).
The report also argues that it hurts small family farms who cannot compete and increases reliance on imports as feed for the animals is brought in from other countries.
It calls for a focus on British-farmed fruits and vegetables, as well as alternative proteins, to boost food security.
Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, a patron of the CAWF, said: “This new report on the future of food security in the UK reveals how factory farming undermines food security and argues for more investment and policy focus on the UK’s horticulture sector, build upon British farmed fruit, vegetables, and alternative proteins to provide a healthy and nutritious diet for everyone in our country.
“It is imperative that we implement urgent and comprehensive reforms to address the clear and undeniable failures within our current food system.
“Such reforms are essential not only to rectify the issues at hand but also to facilitate a meaningful transition towards more sustainable farming practices.”
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Lorraine Platt, co-founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, said the research “exposes the urgent need to overhaul the current food system”.
She added: “Industrial factory farms are a failing model—harming not only our small farmers but also threatening food security.
“We must halt the construction and expansion of new pig and chicken factory farms immediately.
“Far from bolstering our food security, these massive industrial livestock operations burden taxpayers and deepen our dependence on imports.
“The Government announced in December 2024 that it will develop a new ‘ambitious’ National Food Strategy.
“As our report has argued, a food strategy that maximises UK food security should trade factory farms for fruits, vegetables and alternative proteins.
“The Government must act now, investing significantly in UK horticulture with grants for glasshouses, automation, and farm adaptation grants to help those wanting to transition away from factory farming to alternative forms of farming. The time for action is now.”
The report makes a series of recommendations including that no new pig or chicken factory farms are given the green light and more investment in the UK horticulture sector and healthy alternative proteins.
A Defra spokesperson said: “This government recognises that food security is national security. That is why we are investing £5 billion into farming, the largest amount for sustainable food production in our country’s history.
“All farms are closely regulated and we’re committed to supporting farmers to meet our world-leading animal welfare standards.”