From ELMs to Cyclone Gabrielle: the need for a sustainable food sector & the infrastructure to support it grows

• In the UK

The UK government is offering more than ￡168m in grants to farmers to boost food production, improve animal welfare and fund smaller abattoirs. The funding will be made available from the farming innovation programme and farming investment fund and will complement the environmental land management schemes (ELMs), which pay farmers to enhance biodiversity.

The ELMs were created over five years and replaced the EU common agricultural policy. Farmers can be paid for planting hedgerows and maintaining wildflower meadows and peatland. The government has said it wants to provide ￡600m from a ￡2.4bn budget to support productivity and animal welfare. It also plans to support small abattoirs, which it called “crucial” for the rural economy.

Funding will enable abattoirs to invest in new technology and improve productivity and animal health and welfare, according to farming minister Mark Spencer. Animal welfare campaigners Compassion in Farming welcomed the grants but called on the government to use them to encourage farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also addressed the National Farmers’ Union conference, pledging that half of all public sector food will be locally and sustainably produced.

We couldn't agree more; public procurement can be a changemaker for the Agri-Food sector globally.

• In New Zealand

Farmers in New Zealand are coming to grips with the extensive cleanup operation after Cyclone Gabrielle (13th/14th of Feb) caused significant damage in rural areas, particularly in Hawke's Bay.

The upper and eastern North Island experienced major flooding due to torrential rain and high tides, resulting in the destruction of crops, orchards, and pastures and the loss of livestock. The cyclone has caused at least eleven fatalities.

The New Zealand government declared a national state of emergency, only the third time in its history, and allocated an initial NZ$4m (￡2.1m) for recovery efforts in rural communities. This funding is in addition to the NZ$11.5m (￡6.02m) community support package the government announced earlier this week to aid tens of thousands of people impacted by the floods. Approximately 75% of New Zealand's population resides on the North Island.

The devastation in Hawke's Bay is surreal, with questions to be answered about the role the forestry industry and government planning played in exacerbating the environmental conditions such as forestry slash and weakened soil structures, which resulted in widespread destruction of bridges, homes and roads.

For an idea of the devastation, click here