The coronavirus epidemic exposes the importance of food supply and security.

The coronavirus crisis has made people think about the security of one of the most basic priorities of life: food. At the beginning of the lockdown in March families were not sure if there would be a steady supply of food available in the supermarkets. Would the food supply chains be able to cope in supplying a nation of 66 million people week after week?

Initially there was some panic buying leaving shelves empty, but as supplies kept coming confidence grew and a more stable situation developed. Now the problem is more whether many families can afford to buy the food on sale.

As an EU member state, we have not been concerned with food security for many years. The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) made sure food was available at an affordable price.

Now we have left the EU food supply may be less reliable, with possible peaks and troughs in supply. We now might need to protect food production in the UK so that in a crisis we are able to rely on our farmers, which CAP subsidies used to help support.

Critics of the CAP pointed out rich farmers received unfair share of CAP susidies. Giant companies like Campina and Nestle received hundreds of millions of Euros while small scale farmers are shut out of European markets. Even our Queen received half a million Euros a year.

Critics also argued EU citizens had to pay up to twice for their food. If we traded as a no-EU member we could get cheap food from the USA, Australia and Canada.

But Europe has the world’s best food and the CAP promotes quality and diversity. Traditional local foods are protected from cheaper, often lower quality, imitations. Recent reforms to the CAP have ensured that Europe is a world leader in promoting food safety and the development of organic produce.

Given the shock of a pandemic turning our lives upside down, will the British public now consider food security and higher food standards that the EU offered more important than they did in the past?

Will they see the pursuit of cheap less healthier food from distant countries as a risk?

Will they see the protection of farmers and therefore the food supply to UK citizens as a greater priority than was appreciated during the Brexit debate?

Already the Trade and Immigration Bills are making their way through the Parliament. As we closely monitor the outcomes of these debates and the trade negotiations between the UK and USA as well as the negotiations between the UK and EU on the future relationship, we must keep the public informed of the importance of food security and safety we took for granted when an EU member.

Covid 19 has reminded us of the importance of food security and quality.

We must not accept a hard (WTO or ‘Australia’) Brexit, which will further disrupt the food supply chain and the wider economy. We therefore hope you will support the European Movement’s current campaign to extend the transition period to get the best possible trade, security and other deals with the EU. Enter ttps://www.europeanmovement.co.uk

Richard Newcombe

Chair of London4Europe and European Movement Waltham Forest