FOOD HAS been taken for granted for far too long, and UK farming is now facing a crisis which could result in the country no longer having the ability to feed itself.

According to NFU Scotland vice-president Martin Kennedy, the politicians now facing questions over future levels of farm support and food pricing, arising out of the wider issue of Brexit, must now listen to the industry, or risk many domestic farmers quitting production, leaving the whole of the UK at the mercy of sub-standard products flooding its markets from overseas.

Mr Kennedy explained: "Farmers and crofters will lose the will to do the job they are good at because of such little return, severely endangering food security and our precious environment. We still get questioned on a regular basis about the need for support in what we do. There is now a greater need for support than there ever has been, particularly in the hill livestock sector, but equally in other parts of the industry."

He believes that the reason for this is because, in real terms, food is still far too cheap relative to its cost of production – consumers now only spend 8% of their income on food instead of 40% – and that if food had risen at the same inflation rate as house prices over the last 40 years, then a four-pint carton of milk would cost £10.45, a roast chicken would be £51.18, a loaf of white bread would be £4.36 and a leg of lamb would cost you £53.18.

To illustrate the pricing conundrum facing farmers, Mr Kennedy used the example that, in 1974, you could buy a new Ford 5000 tractor for around £2300, which 30 tonnes of barley at that time would easily pay for. Now 600 tonnes of barley wouldn't even look at the price of an equivalent tractor.

"Yes, Scottish farmers and crofters receive around half a billion pounds worth of support each year but no one ever mentions the £2.8 billion we spend on our businesses to keep them going," he added. "This money keeps the supply industry going and is vital to the rural economy - that's a huge return on investment."

With Scotland's food and drink sector now worth over £14 billion to the Scottish economy, and with ambitious targets for that to reach £30 billion by 2030, Mr Kennedy warned that, unless farmers can see a bit more recognition for what they are doing for the economy and the environment, these targets will only be a pipe dream.

"Agriculture is facing crisis and unless farmers and crofters either receive much more for their products, or are supported to at least the current level, then the whole of the UK will be at the mercy of sub-standard products flooding our markets," he concluded.

"The result of this would be that we no longer have the ability to feed our own country, which we already struggle to do. Food really has been taken for granted for far too long.

"It is absolutely vital that those in the position of making decisions over the next two years which will have the biggest effect on our industry post-Brexit, listen to people who understand what happens on the ground and NFU Scotland will be doing all it possibly can to influence and shape these decisions."