THE proportion of food the UK produces for itself is continuing to fall, farmers have warned.
The UK's self-sufficiency in food dropped by two percentage points from 2012 to 60 per cent last year, down from 75 per cent in 1991, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) said.
There has been a fall in self-sufficiency for food that can be grown or produced domestically, down from 77 per cent in 2012 to 73 per cent in 2013, and down from a high of nearly 87 per cent in 1991.
The NFU is calling for consumers, retailers, politicians and the industry to back a series of measures to boost British farming.
NFU president Meurig Raymond said: "We know people want to buy British food, with 86 per cent of shoppers wanting to buy more traceable food produced on British farms.
"What we need now is for farming to be at the heart of decision-making across the wider food industry and government, for more food to be both produced and consumed here, in the UK."
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