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Results British-produced food would run out today The Daily Telegraph (London), August 14, 2013 Wednesday, NEWS; FRONT PAGE; Pg. 1, 356 words, Daily Telegraph Reporter

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Households feel the squeeze as food inflation runs at double average wages increase The Daily Telegraph (London), August 14, 2013 Wednesday, NEWS; Pg. 4, 448 words, Steve Hawkes

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The Daily Telegraph (London) August 14, 2013 Wednesday Edition 1; National Edition

British-produced food would run out today

BYLINE: Daily Telegraph Reporter SECTION: NEWS; FRONT PAGE; Pg. 1 LENGTH: 356 words FOOD supplies for the year would run out today if Britain had to rely on domestically produced goods alone, farmers have warned. A sharp fall in self-sufficiency in the past two decades means Britain produces less than two thirds (62 per cent) of the food the country consumes, down from 75 per cent in 1991, the National Farmers' Union said. If all the food produced in the UK in a year were stored and eaten from Jan 1, the "cupboard" would be bare by Aug 14, the NFU has calculated. Farmers are calling for support from politicians, the public and food industry to back British farming and help them produce more. Peter Kendall, the NFU's president, said Britain could not simply go around the world chasing the cheapest deal on food. "To think that today's date would signal the time when our domestic food supply runs out is frankly alarming. It says to me that we must act,'' he said. "Right across the board farmers have a fantastic natural capacity to produce more British food, given the right market signals and the confidence to invest. We have the right technologies to produce more from less, with precision farming helping to target fertiliser and crop protection products within centimetres. "Laser technology can even pinpoint an individual weed, improving accuracy and efficiency. Crops grown under cover help to lengthen the season for our British fruits. But there is more to do to empower our farmers to enable them to make the most of our natural resources and feed our growing nation.'' He urged the Government to help create an environment where farming businesses could invest, to address market failures and iron out price volatility. He pointed to problems with long, complex supply chains which, farmers have warned, led to the recent horse meat scandal. Britain imports food and drink to the value of 37.6billion. While it is a trading nation, in times of economic uncertainty a strong food-producing industry is essential, Mr Kendall said. He urged the public to put pressure on supermarkets, restaurants and MPs to back British farming. A new NFU charter is gathering signatures to support the farming industry. LOAD-DATE: August 14, 2013

Page 3 British-produced food would run out today The Daily Telegraph (London) August 14, 2013 Wednesday

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper JOURNAL-CODE: DTL

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The Daily Telegraph (London) August 14, 2013 Wednesday Edition 1; National Edition

Households feel the squeeze as food inflation runs at double average wages increase
BYLINE: Steve Hawkes SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 4 LENGTH: 448 words FOOD prices are rising by more than double the rate of increase in average pay, with the cost of fruit up by more than 10 per cent on last year. Official figures yesterday revealed the extent of the continuing climb in the cost of the weekly shop, tightening the squeeze on households. The Office for National Statistics said that food-price inflation rose in July from 3.9 per cent to 4.4 per cent a stark contrast to the wider consumer price index, which fell. Fruit prices were up at least 10 per cent, with apples 36 per cent more expensive than a year ago, and pears 30 per cent dearer. Other supermarket staples have also leapt in price as poor harvests and rising global demand pushed up the cost of animal feed. Pork sausages are 11.2 per cent up on July last year, while best beef mince is 8.4 per cent more expensive. Breads and cereals are up 4.6 per cent, and new potatoes are 13 per cent higher. Average earnings are just 1.7 per cent up on last year. Experts said that shoppers were paying the price of last year's harvests, the poor weather at the start of this year and the increasing competition for food from the Middle East and Asia. The fall in the value of the pound has also pushed up the cost of food that Britain imports, about half the amount we eat. However, Darren Shirley, a retail analyst at the City stockbroker Shore Capital, said: "We are hopeful the residual pressure from last year will begin to wear off by the end of this year, around the fourth quarter." European statistics in June indicated that Britain saw one of the biggest increase in food prices in Europe. But figures in Germany yesterday revealed that food-price inflation there hit a fiveyear high of 5.7 per cent last month. In recent days, fears of a bad harvest in Brazil sent sugar prices to a nine-week high, while China is expected to import its largest amount of wheat for nine years, intensifying global demand. Last month, a leading professor warned that food prices could triple in the next 20 years as the world population rose.

Page 5 Households feel the squeeze as food inflation runs at double average wages increase The Daily Telegraph (London) August 14, 2013 Wednesday Prof Tim Benton, head of the Global Food Security programme, said the size of the emerging middle class in South East Asia would trigger a global "food fight". One food industry chief said yesterday: "People keep talking about what will happen when demand around the world begins to go up. Well, it's already happening." Asda last month said that family spending power was 5 a week below its peak in February 2010. Business: B1 Eat up Percentage rise in a year Onions 7.5% Fruit 10% Apples 36% Pears 30% Best minced beef 8.4% Chicken 8% Pork sausages 11.2% Potatoes 12.6% Others Heating Oil 6.9% Dental services2.5% Rail fares 4.5% Health insurance 9% LOAD-DATE: August 14, 2013 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper JOURNAL-CODE: DTL

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