Read Forestry Commission guidance if you want to register as a professional operator to import timber, wood products or bark. In 2020 71% of UK land area was used for agricultural production, the majority of this being grassland for grazing rather than crops. Not all land is suitable for growing crops, and some is suitable only for specific crops. Land use overall has changed little in the last thirty years, with annual variation between specific crops due to factors such as the weather and prices rather than long-term or systematic variation. Domestic production faces a number of long-term and short-term risks, including soil degradation, drought and flooding, diseases, risks to fuel and fertiliser supplies, and changing labour markets. In the long term, climate change impacts are likely to have a negative effect on the proportion of high-grade arable farmland available in the UK. Diverse international supply sources HMI and SASA will inspect all green banana imports from the EU routinely, in the same way as non-EU imports

All fruit and vegetables imported to or exported from the UK must meet the relevant quality and labelling rules. Importing fruit and vegetables from the EU to Great Britain You can apply for a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of conformity at the same time using this service. Longer growing seasons and warmer temperatures may have some positive effects for particular crops and regions, but overall risk magnitude is assessed to increase from medium at present to high in future. Increased climate exposure (including heat stress, drought risk, and wetness-related risks) is modifying productive capacity and will continue to do so in future in line with the degrees of warming experienced. The severity of risk to agriculture from climate change could further increase if mitigation efforts are ineffective in preventing non-linear threshold effects and ‘tipping points’ in global systems.Poultry, pigmeat, and egg production is increasing, while beef, lamb, and milk remains largely stable. The UK now consumes less milk and more eggs relative to production. Changing domestic production is broadly reflected in consumption percentages for beef, pigmeat, and mutton and lamb, with a slight decrease in demand for beef and mutton and lamb in the last two years. Poultry production has increased considerably but is still a smaller percentage of consumption than in 1985, indicating a marked dietary shift towards poultry. A risk-based approach applies to controls on fruit and vegetables from Great Britain at points of entry in Northern Ireland. In line with the very low risk posed by GB goods, SMS and GMS goods can be released into free circulation (declared and customs duties paid) in Northern Ireland without needing a GB-issued certificate of conformity. This may change on the basis of risk. WRAP’s 2019 progress report on the Courtauld 2025 Water Ambition notes that 14% of rivers are over-abstracted and nearly a quarter of rivers in England are at risk from unsustainable water abstraction; a similar proportion of aquifers are classed as in ‘poor quantitative status’. [footnote 19] The same study asserts that 86% of rivers do not meet good ecological status and over 50% of England’s freshwater and wetland species have declined since 1970. WRAP, ‘UK Food System GHG Emissions’, https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/uk-food-system-ghg-emissions. ↩

To export fruit and vegetables from Northern Ireland to the EU, follow the guidance on exporting plants and plant products from Northern Ireland to the EU. Exporting fruit and vegetables directly from the UK to non-EU countries As well as soil health (discussed at Indicator 2.3.2), agriculture also has an impact on water, air, and living things. Updated information about the requirements for importing regulated and notifiable goods from the EU (except the Republic of Ireland) to clarify that a phytosanitary certificate is not needed for these goods. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture have reduced overall since 1990, but have not changed in recent years. The newly published Net Zero Strategy sets out areas where innovation and emerging technologies may support the sector in adapting to climate change, and also discusses alternative proteins (Chapter 3, sections 22 and 33). [footnote 26] WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment 2030 aims to reduce UK food system greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 (alongside targets on water and waste). [footnote 27] JNCC, ‘UK Biodiversity Indicators 2021 Revised’, https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-biodiversity-indicators-2021/. ↩Tensions between environmental protection and crop yields are likely to increase as climate change fuels warmer and damper conditions that are more likely to encourage disease and pests, like potato blight and peach-potato aphids. Climate change will also likely change pesticide use and impacts through changing temperatures and rainfall patterns. Indicator 2.2.2 Agriculture and supply chain waste Headlines Guidance updated to show change in rules from 1 January 2022 for imports from the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain