Wiltshire College to teach builders sustainability skills
The college will offer short courses to construction sector employers who need to develop their plumbing and heating engineers, electricians and builders' renewable skills as demand grows.Mr Hatt said: "Climate Change is presenting us all with a growing challenge and the construction industry is having to adapt quickly to meet that challenge. "We are seeing the demand for sustainable housing grow, and not just because of global warming but also rising energy bills."Our Green Skills Centre will be there to meet this demand for new skills and it will be convenient for employers because it is based here in Wiltshire at our Lackham campus."The college is also converting a former residential house at Lackham into an eco-house to act as a showcase for renewable technologies.It has been developed in partnership with Chippenham energy firm Good Energy, which will use it to train its engineers."Both of these projects are vitally important to the training we offer," said Mr Hatt.
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Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
UK 'criminally' unprepared to feed itself in crisis - our diets may have to change
The UK is no better prepared to feed its population during wars, pandemics and climate disasters than before the COVID outbreak, the head of the National Farmers Union says. With threats to our food supply increasing, Tom Bradshaw says, the UK has a "criminal" dependence on foreign countries to source some of its food. He warns if Britain continues down this road for another decade, it will be too late to "turn the tap back on". "We're living in probably some of the most volatile geopolitical times we've known," he says. "If we are worried enough… to be investing more in defence, we should be having the same conversation about food security." Bradshaw is one of a number of campaigners and experts the Money team spoke to who are sounding the alarm, including the UK's former food security ambassador, a public health nutritionist and a director of the UK's largest greenhouse complex. With Labour having pledged to treat food security as national security, Money investigates the scale of the problems facing Britain's food supply and the changes to diets and supermarket shelves its citizens may have to stomach if the nation is to become better prepared. 'The brown stuff will hit the fan' The COVID pandemic was the first time in decades that shoppers walked into a supermarket and couldn't get what they wanted. Perhaps not since Germany's wartime blockade has the importance of food security become so clear to the British public. Footage of Matt Hancock trying to reassure a panicked nation that the shops won't run out might have faded from memory, but new threats have emerged. In the past five years, we've witnessed major wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an aggressive trade policy overhaul by the world's biggest economy and numerous climate disasters. Britain needs to consider what happens to its food supply if the chaos continues at this rate, says Professor Tim Benton, former UK food security ambassador and distinguished fellow at Chatham House. "Increasingly, it's easy to imagine a prolonged acute problem that would arise out of some significant geopolitical impact," he says. "Governments all over the place are starting to worry about how do you ensure that there is enough food in the country to keep the country going." The professor adds: "At some stage, the brown stuff will hit the fan and government will have to decide that it will need to invest in new ways to make sure that this works." How self-sufficient is the UK? Last year, the UK produced 65% of the food it needs, exported 9% of that and imported the rest, according to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). That's down 13 percentage points from the height of British self-sufficiency, 78%, in 1984. Since the 1980s, politicians have handed responsibility for food to the free market to save money, says Benton. Food companies themselves have moved to fragile, just-in-time supply chains, while consumers shop more precariously too, often visiting the supermarket every day rather than filling up a larder. When Benton warned Theresa May's government against these trends in the Climate Change Committee's 2017 risk assessment, he summed up their response as: "We don't need to worry about food security because the market will sort it out." But since Brexit and the pandemic, reality has sunk in at DEFRA. "You were right to be worried," Benton recalls a DEFRA official telling him at a meeting in 2021 as he prepared an updated report. "There is a lot of thinking going on in DEFRA, and that is the absolutely necessary step," he says. "We are much better placed now to act quickly, but we are not far enough along that road." The government has allocated £11.8bn to food production this parliament, according to a DEFRA spokesperson. It has also extended the Seasonal Worker Visa Scheme to address labour shortages in horticulture. Britain's Achilles' heel "Our Achilles' heel is really fruit and vegetables," says Benton. Britain grows just 15% of its own fruit and 53% of its vegetables. It's much better at producing meat, potatoes and wheat, but calories alone aren't enough without the vital micronutrients found in horticultural products. A major long-term shock to imports could lead to malnutrition that overwhelms the NHS, says Benton. Bradshaw, of the farmers' union, asks: "Why are we less than 20% self-sufficient in fruit? That is criminal." Farms cover 70% of British land, but some 85% of it is dedicated to livestock - two million hectares on their feed alone, the World Wide Fund for Nature found in 2022. Just 1% of farmland is used to grow fruit and vegetables, DEFRA figures showed the following year. "When you look at foods that are absolutely a core part of a healthy and more sustainable diet, for example fruit and veg and seafood, we are highly dependent on other countries," says Rebecca Tobi, public health nutritionist and senior business engagement manager at the Food Foundation. In a world where food is dictated by market forces, that's partly the fault of shoppers. "We've got used to more exotic diets," says Bradshaw. "We expect strawberries on the shelves 365 days a year," he says, despite the growing season lasting eight months. British sweetcorn can only be produced for six to eight weeks of the year, onions for 42 weeks and broccoli between May and October. And that's just the food that can be produced here in the first place. "We have developed a liking for things, like pineapples, that we're never going to grow," says John Walgate, chief executive of the British Growers Association. "Bananas are a staple fruit - they're not going to grow in the UK any time soon." Households purchased more bananas than any other type of fresh fruit in 2021 and 2022, according to the most recent UK Food Security Report. It's a sign of how dramatically eating habits would have to change should Professor Benton's warning of a major, prolonged shock to UK food imports become a reality. But that's not all down to picky eaters. Growing pains "Growing - it's one of the riskiest businesses you can do," says Walgate. "It really is not for the faint-hearted." Take an apple: A tree is a 20-year investment, but contracts with retailers are usually much shorter, meaning growers don't know what market will exist for their product when it's ready. Retailers can also find cheaper options abroad because the cost of energy and labour in the UK often outstrips savings on transport. External investors are hard to come by because the climate is increasingly unpredictable, meaning returns are uncertain. "As growers, you can have a good year if the weather's good or you have a bad year if weather's bad. You're not in control of everything," says Rob James, technical director at Thanet Earth, Britain's biggest greenhouse complex. Thanet Earth is a rare example of a grower that is expanding, producing 300 million tomatoes, 33 million cucumbers and 20 million peppers each year. But the complex technology needed to overcome the industry's obstacles has cost the company tens of millions of pounds. They buy gas and use Dutch-inspired combined heat and power engines to burn it, producing heat for the greenhouses, CO2 for the crops and electricity to sell back to the grid. The 50-hectare site is 70% water self-sufficient, thanks to tech that collects and reuses rain and condensation, and covered in special screens to prevent sun-scorch. Thanet Earth's seventh greenhouse, currently under construction, will cost £20m. Cash for these innovations just isn't available to most farmers. In 2023-24, produce at 61% of English farms failed to cover the costs of inputs like fertiliser, labour and medicine, government statistics show. Britons aren't paying enough to make investing sustainable, suggests NFU chief Bradshaw. Prices need to be higher or more taxes need to be dedicated to fund government investment and subsidies, he says. Asked if consumers must accept higher prices for more food security, he says: "Everyone wants everything, don't they? The world we've been brought up in now is that you believe you can have everything and that the hard, realistic choices aren't being put forward in front of people for them to make in an educated way." He adds: "Somebody, somewhere has to be willing to pay." A DEFRA spokesperson said farming profits had increased by a quarter over the past year. They also highlighted the government has appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to recommend reforms to boost profits further. Foreign nations feeding Britain Without capacity at home, Britain looks abroad to make up the shortfall in its food supply - mostly to Europe (28%), as well as Africa, Asia and North and South America (14%). The chart below shows the 10 nations the UK is most reliant on for food, feed and drink, with the Netherlands, France and Ireland in the top three spots. While European allies dominate the table in terms of total product value, some of Briton's staple foods come from further afield, like rice from India, fish from China or apples from South Africa. Dependence on countries like these risks disruption by trade barriers, geopolitics or extreme weather, the UK's Food Security Report found. "A lot of those other countries that we're reliant on for imports of fruit and vegetables are themselves at very high risk of climate change and water scarcity," says the Food Foundation's Tobi. Brazil, South Africa and Colombia are three of the UK's largest suppliers of fresh fruit, such as melons and bananas, but all are classed as climate change vulnerable by the Notre Dame Global Adaption Initiative. A report by the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems research programme found 54% of the fruit and vegetables imported in 2013 came from nations likely to face high to extremely high water scarcity by 2040. "When you look at climate change modelling over the next 20, 30, 40 years, it's very, very questionable whether those places will still be producing food," says Bradshaw. In the shorter term, we've seen prices for the likes of cocoa and coffee increase this year due to extreme temperatures and drought in west Africa, Brazil and Vietnam. Between 2011 and 2020, the number of droughts and severe storms tripled across the globe, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It's not just temperatures that are out of control. International conflict also threatens food security. Russian blockades against Ukrainian wheat, a key ingredient in chicken feed, may have contributed to egg shortages in British supermarkets in 2022. Climate change will only exacerbate security tensions, says Professor Benton. "If global trade falls apart because of some climate impact, countries will start being more muscular about insuring their food supply," he says, be it more aggressive trade tactics, blockades or even invasions. Trading preferentially with allies and not relying on global markets would allow the UK to become more resilient to geopolitical flashpoints. The myth of self-sufficiency But that doesn't mean pull up the drawbridge, says Bradshaw. "Trade is part of self-sufficiency," he says. "If you have an extreme weather event here, you have markets that you're trading with and you can try to look to those markets to help fill the shortages." Between 2021 and 2023, vegetable production decreased by 13% due to extremely rainy or hot weather that delayed planting, hampered growth and encouraged disease. Britain has become more susceptible to weather events, according to Benton. With private enterprises in charge, food production has leaned toward specialisation, dividing the nation into two halves: Livestock in the West, arable in the East. "What we have is effectively eggs in two baskets," says Benton. No longer do most towns have market gardens, local horticultural enterprises or integrated livestock, he says. A bad year for one crop is a worse year for the farmer growing that crop alone. Is eating less meat the price for security? Eating less meat and more fruit and vegetables would mean more revenue for growers, allowing them to expand domestic production, says Walgate. As it is, Britons eat 30% fewer fruit and vegetables on average than the government's dietary recommendations. "If, as a nation, we ate what dietary guidance said we should eat, that would equate to something like an extra 1.5 million tonnes a year of fresh produce, most of which could be grown in the UK," says Walgate. "That would turn the dial hugely in favour of food security." Consuming less meat and dairy has "enormous potential" to free up land for other crops, adds Tobi. But Bradshaw called on the government to liberalise the planning system across the board. "Whether that be slurry stores on dairy farms, new poultry buildings, reservoirs for horticulture, the system is broken and rather than being an enabling policy, it's a blocking policy." Tax incentives and favourable, government-underwritten loans should also be introduced to incentivise investment, he said. The government is expanding funding available to farmers through Environmental Land Management Schemes from £800m to £2bn by 2028/9. These schemes pay farmers to improve food production and environmental resilience. Another £110m in farming grants have been allocated to trial technologies and innovation. "It's not just about pandering to the agricultural lobby and saying we need to increase productivity locally," says Benton. "Growing more wheat, growing more dairy, growing more beef, doesn't make any sense in the world in which we live. "We could go weeks or months without eating beef, it's not critical for our functioning the same way as having access to fruit and vegetables." Diversifying the fruit and vegetables we grow will make our food supply more resilient to climate change, says Benton. In this area, Walgate says there is room for some optimism. Precision breeding legislation is being debated by the House of Lords that would deregulate genetically modified seeds that grow plants more resistant to drought and with longer shelf lives. "Looking ahead over the next 10 or 20 years, I think food security is only going to become more important as a principle of national security," says Benton.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Carbon literacy islanders commit to everyday changes
More than 200 people in Guernsey have become carbon literacy qualified by learning about how to reduce greenhouse gas literacy is a term used to describe an awareness of climate change, and the climate impacts of mankind's daily training, delivered by advisory company UN1TY, set out to educate people about the impact of everyday choices on the environment and equip them with the tools to make informed, sustainable Duquemin, trainer for UN1TY, said participants "leave feeling really motivated and enthusiastic" about making changes. Carol Harris, managing director of Sarnia Hotels, underwent the training and said: "It's going to become more and more important and certainly some of our business guests, our corporate guests are asking what are we already doing and what plans do we have in place."She added: "If each one of us just makes one little change, and it can be in what we eat, it can be remembering to turn lights off, or taking a slightly quicker shower. "It's walking to work, sometimes, or cycling to work. There's so many small actions we can all do, which collectively will make a difference."Mrs Harris said the hotel chain already have carbon offsetting schemes in place."We have a partnership with Guernsey Trees For Life where for every room that guests choose not to have cleaned, we make a donation of £2. "We've been doing that for a year now and we will have helped to have planted 1,000 trees with this because a lot of the guests really buy into it." Caitlin Duquemin helps deliver the courses as part of her role as a sustainability advisor for UN1TY."We feel it really does have a big impact because we get a group of people in the room and we manage to get them on a level playing field in terms of knowledge.""We help them learn about the things they can do as a business, give them ideas, help them recap what they are already doing or what they'd like to see their business do going forward."Then they leave feeling really motivated and enthusiastic about... implementing those changes." In 2019, Guernsey Post installed the largest solar panel array in the Channel Islands which the company said at the time, would exceed the annual amount of electricity required to power the post office's fleet of electric Gallienne, head of corporate engagement for Guernsey Post, completed the course."We've done all the big things like the solar panels on the roof and the electrification of our delivery fleet, but actually the small things matter too and they are really important.""Things like fully switching your laptop off on a night so it's not a vampire device, leaving things on standby, it drains a lot of energy."She added: "Those little things are really doable and really accessible to most people."
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The traditional British dessert that could go EXTINCT – thanks to climate change
It's the traditional British staple that combines sweet shortcrust pastry, a layer of raspberry jam and a frangipane filling. But the humble Bakewell tart could soon go extinct – thanks to climate change, experts have warned. There is a global shortage of almonds – the key ingredient that gives the dessert its sweet flavour – thanks to rising temperatures in popular growing regions. In California, where 80 per cent of the world's almond nuts are farmed, climate change–related extreme heat and poor water quality have led to soaring production costs and reduced yields. Trade journal Bakery & Snacks said bakers are scrambling to find alternatives to the naturally sweet and smooth nut. In a blog post, they wrote: 'For decades, almonds have been a dependable ingredient for bakers – from the frangipane in a cherry Bakewell to the marzipan in a stollen – but in 2025 that certainty is wavering. 'Prices are unstable, supply is uneven, and the official outlook is being questioned.' Manufacturers said the current situation is pivotal as the dish is of such cultural significance. 'The Cherry Bakewell isn't just a cake – it's a part of British culture,' Kirsty Matthews, brand manager at ingredient specialist Macphie, said. 'People have a fixed idea about how it should taste, how it should feel when you bite into it. 'That's what makes changing the ingredient list so sensitive.' The situation is so worrying that firms have even started developing nut–free flavourings and seeds to replace the iconic almond. 'When an ingredient like the almond wobbles, heritage products feel the impact first,' the Bakery & Snacks post reads. 'The cherry Bakewell is one of Britain's best–loved bakes – shortcrust pastry, a layer of jam, almond–rich frangipane, smooth icing and a bright glacé cherry on top.' Its roots go back to the early 1800s in Bakewell, Derbyshire, where a cook at the White Horse Inn is said to have accidentally created a softer Bakewell pudding. The treat was later given a crispier base, and from the mid–20th century it was decorated with a single cherry on top, popularised by top–selling bakers Mr Kipling. Ms Matthews insisted her firm's new nut–free 'Cherry Bakewell Sensation' offered the same enjoyment and could be enjoyed by those with nut allergies. She said: 'We can still give you the experience you expect, the same aroma, the same balance of flavours, the same indulgence, but with an ingredient list that works in today's supply climate.' Almond orchards are thirsty permanent crops that need water year–round – a struggle when regions experience drought and intensifying heat waves. California almond production grew from 168 million kg in 1995 to a record 1.4 billion kg in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, this has started to dip again in recent years. A report from California Almonds, released in December reads: 'While demand is looking up, almond acreage is declining. 'On trend with recent years, the 2024 Land IQ Acreage Report indicated that non–bearing and total almond acreage decreased for the third year in a row. 'Regionally, less almonds are being harvested from the South Valley, which is typically where the strongest yields have been, and production is shifting north.' How are almonds grown? Almonds are seeds harvested from the fruit of almond trees, which are native to the Mediterranean. The trees can grow up to 15ft tall and are known for their aromatic, white-pink flowers. They grow a soft fruit called a drupe, which contains a small pit in the middle that is exposed when the fleshy exterior dries and splits open. The seed within the pit is harvested by a machine and prepared for consumption. Industrial producers plant almond trees in large orchards where climates are hot and dry in the summer and cool and moist in the winter. Some 80 per cent of the world's almond supply is produced in California's farmlands, while the other 20 per cent is found in Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy. Contrary to popular belief, almonds are not technically true nuts. Instead, they are classified as drupes.
