Written question asked by Lord Blencathra (Conservative) on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 June 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Thursday, 4 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food Supply and Rural Areas: Weather

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a super El Niño event on UK food security and the rural economy.

Answer

The UK has a resilient food supply chain underpinned by diverse sources, robust domestic production and reliable import routes. However, this cannot be taken for granted.

The Defra-funded Food, Farming and Natural Environment climate service is delivered by the Met Office Hadley Centre and provides essential climate modelling services to Government. Defra published the Met Office produced High-Impact Low-Likelihood outcomes for UK food security paper last year here. This highlighted the potential impacts of strong El Niño years, on net global crop production and how they may amplify the impact of any other global food production shocks occurring elsewhere.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL256
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Food supply Rural areas Weather
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Food Supply and Rural Areas: Weather

Secondary information

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