Analysis
Should we cherish our turnips? Why the British
food system may need a reboot
Helena
Horton and Sarah Butler
The UK can move away from imported vegetables, even in
winter, if tastes for homegrown crops change, campaigners say
Fri 24 Feb
2023 17.27 GMT
The
environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, is unlikely to refer to the last week as
her salad days.
The beleaguered
minister hit the front pages after responding to a question about whether we
should be eating less imported food, by saying that this would mean “cherishing
turnips”. She was roundly mocked.
But the
empty shelves in supermarkets across the country have sparked a frenzy as
tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other fresh vegetables have been rationed. This
has led many to question if our food system is sustainable: should we be eating
fewer imported tomatoes and instead chomping down on our homely turnips?
Britain is
around 60% self sufficient in food and for much of the year produces more than
enough fruit and veg to go around. But this is always a tricky time of year:
the late winter months are known as the “hungry gap”, and yield little more
than root vegetables and brassicas. This means lots of fresh food is imported,
but bad weather in Morocco and Spain has impacted yields, causing empty shelves
here.
Farming
campaign group Sustain says empty shelves have been a long time coming, and
that this is an issue that goes beyond the hungry gap into structural issues in
the sector.
Vicki Hird,
their head of sustainable farming, explains: “The weather in Spain and Morocco
is part of the problem, and it’s potentially linked to wider changes in
climatic conditions. The high cost of gas right now is a critical issue for
glasshouse producers. But there are also complications linked to our relationship
with European trade partners and a new trade deal three years ago with Morocco
which set up differential trade arrangements. Bizarrely it means there’s now
more friction, meaning it’s easier for Morrocco to trade with Europe than us.
“Also UK
growers are clear they can’t buy and plant seeds or fruit trees, with costs sky
high, but no farmgate prices increase to match.”
So, could
we grow fruit and veg indoors in the UK during the winter ? Until we have a
renewable energy system, this is expensive. Guy Singh-Watson, who runs
Riverford vegetable box company, said that growing tomatoes and other tender
crops outside the summer season in the UK “requires an extraordinary amount of
fossil fuels” and was “complete madness” if the carbon footprint was considered.
“I’m not an
advocate of an 100% UK-produced diet. I don’t think that is realistic but I
think we could eat a hell of a lot more grown here,” he said. He points out
that they still have reasonable supply of peppers and tomatoes, because they
offer farmers a good price. Supermarkets have previously operated on a race to
the bottom, Singh-Watson argues, setting low, fixed prices for farmers which do
not change when bad weather or rising input costs come into play.
Rebecca
Laughton, head of horticulture at the Landworkers Alliance said we could in
fact have salad sustainably in the UK in winter, if we just made some different
choices.
“There are
many other delicious winter vegetables besides turnips! While I love turnips,
it feels highly political that these have been chosen, instead of leeks, kale,
cabbage, carrots, parsnips, spinach, winter salad, brassicas ... the list could
go on,” she said.
“The
government seems to be focused on hi-tech solutions to the horticultural
crisis, such as vertical farming, hi-tech glasshouses and automation. Yes,
vertical farming might give us strawberries and salad leaves all year round,
but it isn’t going to produce the volume of greens, root vegetables, salads and
other veg that we need to nourish the UK population. It is perfectly possible
to grow abundant winter salad leaves in unheated polytunnels and glasshouses
using soil not hydroponics, and at this time of year they really are abundant.”
She added
that instead of rushing to a supermarket to stock up on turnips, people could
be more mindful about where they bought from: “At present, supermarkets
dominate fresh produce sales, accounting for approximately 95% of the market.
Growers who sell through ‘farmer focussed routes to market’ are able to gain
better prices for their produce, which means more money from the ‘customer
spend’ goes to support organic land management practices, the real living wage
for workers and better working conditions.” Those benefitting could be a local
greengrocer, farm shop, or a vegetable box company.
But
whatever the question, Singh-Watson, said, turnips were not the answer: “Winter
turnips are an abomination. Very different from spring and summer varieties. We
don’t grow them. Wouldn’t want to inflict them on our customers.”
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