Adrian Ramsay, Co-Leader of The Green Party of England and Wales, MP for Waveney Valley, welcomes the start of the consultation process for the Land Use Framework.

“Food security and nature restoration are essential for our very survival. They must not be seen as in competition – the government must step up its efforts on both. 

“We have one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth, yet we need our soils, pollinators and wider environment to be in a healthy state in order to secure our food supply – and farmers are crying out for adequate funding for nature friendly farming and natural flood management.

“Climate breakdown is already threatening our ability to produce food, with droughts and flooding at different times of the year making life very hard for farmers.

“This Land Use Framework represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address these critical issues and ensure our communities are more self-sufficient and resilient in our food supply. For this plan to work and deliver for communities, the Government must work to diversify what food we produce, which will strengthen our food security.” 

“A new framework could – and should – support  farmers to produce seasonal foods for local markets and tackle the power of the supermarkets who don’t give farmers a fair deal.”

“This happens throughout this country, with businesses like Hodmedods in Suffolk growing beans and pulses or Glebe Farm in Cambridgeshire producing homegrown oats. These examples show that we can diversify food production reducing our reliance on imports, ensuring food security for future generations.”