Major retail executives and food suppliers have written to the Government urging it to help deliver growth within the farming supply chain sector.

The letter calls for improvements to the planning system, increased tax relief to encourage investment and growth and better access to the right people for skilled work in farming positions.

Retail executives at M&S, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Asda, Waitrose and other supermarkets have signed the letter.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw commented: “Food is such a fundamental part of our lives and our society, and the government has rightly said that ‘food security is national security’.

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“We want to go further than this. We want to be a driving force behind Britain’s economic renewal, and every person who signed this letter agrees that our sector has real potential for growth.”

He added: “Resilience and confidence have to underpin this, with a clear framework of enabling policy and targeted investment. Setting defined government targets for domestic food production will provide the certainty and direction our farmers and growers need, balancing food production with the targets that already exist for protecting the environment.

“The UK’s food sector is ready to work with the new Farming Minister to deliver this: to strengthen our food security, help mitigate some of the current inflationary pressures and build a thriving rural economy.”