The UK is not sufficiently prepared for a major disruption to food supplies, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.
A new report published on 4 September says the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has not done enough to build resilience against catastrophic disruption. The risks identified include power failures, pandemics, extreme weather and cyber-attacks.
Food is classified by the Government as one of 13 critical national infrastructure sectors. However, the NAO says Defra’s preparedness work remains at an early stage and that the sector’s ability to withstand a catastrophic event has not been properly tested.
The watchdog says Defra has largely relied on private businesses to manage disruption within the food supply chain. It adds that preparations have not been tested sufficiently with either industry or local government.
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The report recommends greater transparency around the resilience of the food system, alongside more testing involving businesses and local authorities. The NAO says this would help identify weaknesses before a severe disruption occurs.
The warning covers risks that could affect the food system nationally, including failures of essential infrastructure and events that interrupt production, distribution or other parts of the supply chain. The report does not describe a current food shortage, but concludes that the UK’s arrangements are not yet sufficiently prepared for a catastrophic event.
For businesses and the public, the findings put emergency planning for food disruption back in focus. The NAO’s conclusion is that Defra needs to move beyond its current early-stage approach and work more closely with industry and local government to test how the system would respond.
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Sources
Resilience of the food supply chain to disruptions – NAO report
UK has not done enough to prepare for shocks to food supplies, says watchdog
