The Government’s Farming Roadmap 2050 promises resilience and food security, but its foundations are far less stable than the language suggests. By leaning heavily on global markets, imported inputs and centralised supply‑chain control, the roadmap risks deepening the very dependencies that already make Britain’s food system fragile.

The claim that the UK produces “65% of our food” masks a harder truth: once you strip out exports, animal feed and non‑edible crops, our practical edible self‑sufficiency may be closer to 11%. That gap matters – especially in a world where geopolitical shocks, climate disruption and supply‑chain volatility are no longer exceptions but constants.

This response argues that true resilience will not come from further consolidation or market‑driven land use, but from rebuilding local production, farmer autonomy and community‑based food systems capable of feeding the nation when global systems falter.