The owner of one of the UK's most prestigious steakhouses has warned that the UK faces a "massive problem" with farmers dropping our of the industry for good.
Will Beckett, co-founder of Hawksmoor, warned that Britain needs to get to grips with a looming food security issue.
His comments come after years of discontent among farmers, who have been forced to contend with post-Brexit Labour shortages, EU red tape and soaring fertiliser and energy costs after the invasion of Ukraine.
There have also been accusations that major supermarket chains have squeezed profit margins in the industry to unsustainable levels.
The National Farmers Unions and other industry groups wrote to all party leaders ahead of last month’s election urging them to come up with a plan for food security, warning: “It would be foolhardy to assume that our food system will always withstand shocks.”
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Beckett said: “I think it’s right to say that Britain has a farming problem. If there is no honour and profit in farming – by the way, that’s not true – if farmers feel [they] can’t make money, or it’s not worth it, it’s not enjoyable, we’ve got a massive problem.
“We’re not close to self-sustaining on food. We import a huge amount. I think it’s still a government priority to increase our self-sufficiency in food – for that to happen, farming has to work. And there are clearly areas of farming where that is not true.”
Click here to read the full interview in today's Telegraph.