Furious farmers now even more ‘fed up with Labour’, says M&S boss

British farmers are becoming "increasingly fed up" with the Labour Government amid growing food security risk and an impending wave of cuts. Alex Freudmann, head of M&S Food, has urged ministers to reassess their approach to promoting food security amid record foreign imports and a spiralling number of farm closures. More than 6,000 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses closed in the year to July, according to the Office for National Statistics, as Rachel Reeves' introduction of 20% inheritance on agricultural asserts worth over £1million continues to loom.

In Sir Keir Starmer's whirlwind reshuffle on Friday, former environment secretary Steve Reed was replaced by Emma Reynolds, who industry figures and smallhold farmers have now pinned their hopes on for the future of the sector. "The headwinds facing their businesses and their ways of life are coming from all directions," Mr Freudmann said. "Our national food security and our self-sufficiency is under pressure like never before."

Growing numbers of foreign food imports have coincided with financial and staffing crises in agriculture, Mr Freudmann warned, with "almost one in three farmers now over the age of 65".

The process of handing land down through generations has also been complicated by the inheritance tax change, due to come in effect next April. "There's a succession problem in the industry and it feels to our farmers that the Government is making things harder," the M&S boss told The Telegraph.

"If [food production targets] were set down in law, just like the net zero targets are, it could tilt the balance towards farmers."

Warnings of increased food shortage risks align with the data - the proportion of food both produced and eaten in the UK currently sits at 62%, down from 78% in the 1980s.

Mr Freudmann urged legislators to acknowledge that Britain is becoming "less and less self-sufficient" in food production. "We're seeing record demand for chicken from UK consumers, but imported chicken is at record high levels," he said.

"Demand for eggs is increasing for British consumers much faster than our domestic farms can supply those eggs and British produce farmers can't get permission for more growing capacity."

Before being moved to the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Mr Reed pledged to "put food production firmly back on the agenda", but farmers have argued that the Chancellor's cost-cutting plans have instead increased the challenge of making ends meet.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Our food system is essential to not only feeding the nation but nourishing it, protecting the planet, and driving economic growth – both now and in the future.

“This Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast – we’ve allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament and want our farmers to be well placed to bid for a fair share of the £5bn pounds a year spent on public-sector catering contracts.”