Major Suffolk food talks
The future of Suffolk’s agriculture and food sector will be the subject of major talks tomorrow (Tuesday).
The CLA will join other industry leaders, local authorities and farmers at the agricultural conference held at Trinity Park in Ipswich.
It is forecast that to meet demand, global food production will need to increase by 50 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050, whilst using less resources.
The summit will bring the agriculture and food sectors together with the public sectors to discover ways of expanding the agri-food industry in Suffolk to meet such challenges.
Key topics up for analysis include: Jobs and the Future Workforce; Water and Resources; Planning and Infrastructure and Market and Supply Chains.
As well as workshops and panel sessions, the conference will also include presentations from notable speakers. These include Member of the European Parliament Vicky Ford, Suffolk farmer John Taylor and CLA East Assistant Director Tim Isaac.
The CLA’s Mr Isaac said: “This event is a massive opportunity to discuss the reality that the rising population and its income growth - together with demands for biofuels - are placing growing pressures on agriculture.
“The success and growth of Suffolk’s agri-food sector is vital not only to the county but to the rest of the UK – and the world. With global stocks at low levels and prices rising rapidly, many countries are resorting to export restrictions to alleviate the political pressures that rising food prices bring. It would not be dramatic to suggest that global food security will be one of the most important challenges that we face during the coming decades.”
He added: “We must at the same time address the environmental challenge. In the EU, public demands for higher standards of environmental stewardship show no signs of abating. The challenge we face - the great 21st Century land challenge - is to improve the productivity of the land while, at the same time, maintaining high standards of environmental stewardship.
“When the CLA began highlighting this great challenge a good few years ago, the Government paid little attention. Now that the first signs have begun to appear with the dramatic increase in international food prices, food production has risen rapidly up the political agenda. Both Government and industry have to understand the implications of this new and historic challenge, and find practical ways of addressing it.”
To find out more about the conference or to book a place contact: www.suffolkfoodagriculture.eventbrite.co.uk.
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Weather for Haverhill
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
