Climate change could actually deliver a boost for British foods, UK Environment Secretary George Eustice told farmers on Tuesday, suggesting that global warming will make farming increasingly difficult in other parts of the world.
"Climate change is going to mean that water scarcity becomes an issue in parts of the world," Eustice told the National Farmers' Union (NFU) conference, adding that "parts of the world that have good and the most versatile agricultural land today may find it harder to produce crops in future."
The minister caveated his rather grim prediction by adding that this could work in favor of British farmers. "And that means that the temperate regions of the world including here in the UK, will find that there is strong demand for the produce that they grow," he stated.
Eustice was challenged on a number of topics by Britain's farmers during the conference. Minette Batters, the NFU president, said that the government was "too focused" on rewilding and not on productive farming.
"While there is a cost-of-living crisis looming and an increasingly unstable world...the UK government's energy and ambition for our countryside seems to be almost entirely focused on anything other than domestic food production," she said.
He was also challenged on new trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, which could see British farmers undercut.