The head of the United Kingdom’s largest farmers’ union has warned that military action in Iran would cause food prices to soar.
Tom Bradshaw, Chairman of the National Farmers’ Union, stated so far the military conflict between the US and Israel against Iran has caused inflation, but that it is likely to peak as early as this autumn. Apart from that, profiteering by fuel and fertiliser suppliers could also exacerbate inflation. However, he explained that inflation is unlikely to reach 19.1%, as it did in March 2023 following the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking following a meeting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to discuss British food security last week, he explained that the country had already faced an unstable situation following the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, “which drove an ongoing cost-of-living crisis here.”
“And, with the removal of farm support, which added a layer of resilience for many farm businesses, farmers are more exposed than ever to global markets. Whilst the impact on food production and food price inflation will depend on what happens over the coming weeks, it is yet another sobering reminder of the need to build resilience in UK farming.”
In the meantime, fruit and vegetable growers have warned that Britain could see empty supermarket shelves if nothing is done to support the agriculture sector amid escalating turbulence. They had previously stated that they might be forced to halt production and end the season early due to rising energy and transport costs following the war in Iran.
Lee Stiles, secretary of the Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA), and Rachael Williams from the West Sussex Growers Association (WSGA) warned that supermarket shelves may end up empty if nothing is undertaken to support the agriculture sector.
“With rising costs, many growers are thinking they might as well send the staff home, stop for the season and not produce anything. They’re going to have to make a decision in the next few weeks as to whether or not it’s going to be economically viable to continue for the rest of the year,” Stiles said. Williams echoed this sentiment, stating that “I have touched base with our growers and everybody’s obviously worried. They are worried about what will happen, how it will develop, and the uncertainty of it all.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that he “will not allow companies to make huge profits from the hardship of working people.” He explained the government issued a “legal directive” to energy companies to pass on savings from already announced government policies, and also raised concerns about claims that fuel oil suppliers had cancelled orders and then increased bills as prices rose.
