Britain dangerously dependent on two countries for its food supplies

I have always been sceptical about food security arguments for farm subsidies, particularly as they have been framed by farming organisations.   They have always seemed to me to rather Soviet style in their domestic production targets and I am not fan of autarchy.  My classic response was that one should only worry about security issues if one was reliant on just one or two suppliers.

John Maynard Keynes is claimed to have said 'When the facts change, I change my mind' or something like that.  Presumably he didn't change his mind about supporting Aston Villa or disliking Ramsgate!   

I have been influenced by an important new study by the distinguished international political economist Tony Heron in.which he argues that Britain is 'dangerously dependent' on fruit and vegetable supplies from a small number of European countries with 60 per cent coming from the Netherlands and Spain.  The food system is not as global as we often suppose.

The Netherlands does, of course, draw some of its supplies from elsewhere because of its entrepot role. Many large scale fruit and veg producers up sticks and work from Spain in the British winter.  There is less carbon impact from growing tomatoes in Spain than using heated greenhouses on the Sussex coast.

You could read his article for yourself here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-020-0097-7

It certainly has implications in current circumstances given the pinch points provided by the Channel ports which could become a more serious issue after a no deal Brexit.  It also has implications for migration policy in relation to seasonal agricultural workers.

What I hope does not happen is that the article is used to back up the argument for blunt policy instruments of the kind represented by the EU's Basic Payment.   We need to be much more sophisticated and targeted in our policies outside the EU.