UK Farming Assurance schemes and foods produced to 'higher environmental production standards'

Introduction

UK public sector food and catering could be a powerful lever to support the transition to a more sustainable food system. There is an urgent requirement to understand the impact of different farming production methods and their role in environmental sustainability in order to inform future Defra policy on public sector food procurement. Defra requires evidence to explore what farming assurance schemes are present in the market that could be described as meeting "higher environmental production standards." There is also a need to understand the current supply and demand of food produced to higher environmental production standards (both under the current scope and wider), and what impact proposed changes in public procurement standards could have on the UK agri-food system.

Aims and objectives

1. DEFRA wishes to understand the evidence relating to farming assurance schemes through:

a. Mapping the farming assurance schemes available in the UK market, including retail-based schemes, and to include what standards and indicators they use that are relevant to higher environmental farming practices.

b. An analysis based on the scheme's indicators and, whether it is likely that the investigated schemes result in higher environmental production standards

c. An estimate of current coverage, in terms of number and type of farms signed up, for these schemes and volume of production by product category.

d. An understanding of what data and tools are available that quantifies the environmental impact of the different assurance schemes and farming practices or improvements, both at a UK farm level and at a global level.

2. DEFRA wishes to understand the evidence relating to the effect of proposed procurement requirements on the supply of higher environmentally produced food and associated impacts, specifically:

a. Market share and quantity of food currently produced to higher environmental production standards (of UK produced and globally imported food), and how this compares to the quantity required to fulfil proposed procurement requirements for a minimum of 20% of UK food spend to meet higher environmental production standards. This should include some modelling of the potential change in supply of food that meets required standards as a result of possible changes in government standards for food procurement

b. Modelling of the potential scale of impact that this proposed policy may have on the makeup of UK domestic production, particularly the potential effects on environmental impact, reduced yields, resource efficiency, land use change and risk of importation.