Nature-friendly groups and celebrities say the government must stop relying on food imports and double the land used to grow fruits and vegetables.
The open letter, coordinated by the agriculture-focused charity Soil Association, asks the Prime Minister to back and scale up horticulture sector.
Chefs, influencers, and local celebrities like Sinead Fenton and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have joined the campaign.
The call for action comes after the new report Sustain and The Wildlife Trust by the Soil Association shows that if the current decline in vegetables and fruit continues, the nation will face further disaster for food supply, health, and the environment.
The report shows that imports account for most of the fruit and nearly half of the vegetables consumed here. Horticulture currently represents less than 2% of farmed land, and production is declining year-on-year. With government intervention, land used for horticulture could double from 2% to 4% of farmland.
The report sent to Sir Keir Starmer points out that more land is currently used to play golf than to produce fruit and vegetables.
The Soil Association also asks anyone who agrees with the letter to head to the website and sign a pledge to show their support for homegrown fruit and vegetables.
Report co-author and Soil Association senior policy officer, Lucia Monje-Jelfs, said that “British fruit and veg is in crisis. Our diets are costing the NHS billions every year and the impacts of climate change are hitting the countries we import from,” Monje-Jelfs said.
“If we scaled up agroecological horticulture like organic, boosting access to healthy and sustainable food across the country, we could help to reverse the public health disaster, slash farming emissions, and restore wildlife. The new government must act to support the country’s growers.”
The report also calls for better fairness and flexibility for farmers – most of whom cite supermarket pressure as the reason they fear for their business.
