Food for public sector to be monitored to see how much is grown in UK

Food supplied to the public sector is to be monitored for the first time to determine how much of it comes from British farmers, the Secretary of State for the Environment will reveal.

for submerged farms.

Block of cheese sales also supports their businesses as climate change poses problems like droughts and floods.

Reed will declare that the Labour party is targeting to secure half of the food supplied to the public sector from British farms, which would be valued at £2.5 billion per year for farmers. He will also announce plans to make it simpler for farmers to install solar panels on their rooftop and wind turbines at the bottom of fields, as well as to liberalise the planning system to allow farmers to construct barns and other infrastructure more easily.

Guy Singh-Watson, the founder of Riverford, an organic farm and vegetable box courier, claimed these policies "are more beneficial to property developers than to farmers".

I don't believe these policies are advantageous to many farmers. I think the planning policies are more beneficial to property developers than to farmers. Planning procedures are in place to safeguard the countryside, and I don't think these policies address the issues affecting most farmers.

He added that the primary problem, a lack of profitability for farmers, remains unaddressed: “The main issue farmers are facing is that they don't receive fair payment for what they produce. These policies do not address that issue. Vegetable producers get no safeguard against predatory pricing.”

I'm not suggesting it's simple to regulate market forces – after all, we live in a world where we're accustomed to the market being top dog, but the thing is the market's power is very unevenly balanced, which means it needs regulating. Farmers have quite generous tax advantages on their side, yet, even so, they're struggling to keep their heads above water – they're only earning less than 1% return and a Britain could only dream of making up to £30,000 a year.

Related: Labour hopes 'new deal for farmers' can rebalance relationship with agriculture

Previous governments have stated that farming plays a crucial role in nature's recovery, with the former Conservative Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, making significant changes to the EU-inspired farming subsidy schemes so that they paid farmers for “public goods” such as restoring nature, rather than solely rewarding those who own land and produce food.

However, Reed will say the focus on food production has been misplaced. He will tell farmers: “The main purpose of farming has – and always will be – to produce the food that feeds the nation. Too many Whitehall policymakers have forgotten that fact. This government is putting food production firmly back on the agenda.”

Martin Lines, the chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said: “While the government's priority on ensuring that farms are viable and profitable is appreciated, it is disappointing that it seems to be looking at this issue mainly through the perspective of food production.”

It simply cannot be feasible to carry on producing food in the future without stepping in to curb the effects of climate change and taking action to counteract the depletion of nature and biodiversity. If we do not place the environment and nature at the very centre of farming, food security will be at great risk.

The government must also prevent the importation of subpar goods manufactured to lower environmental and public health standards than those produced by British farmers. To genuinely place British agriculture on a firm footing for the future, the government must utilise all its available tools.

Farmers have been undercut by supermarkets and other entities throughout the supply chain for a considerable number of years now, frequently tied into contracts which result in farmers being paid less than the cost of their work.

Farming organisations have been urging the government to make the supply chain more equitable so that growers receive a fair income. Reed has pledged to "increase profitability through fair competition in the supply chain" and will highlight new regulations coming into force for the pig industry, which will ensure that contracts clearly outline what is expected and any changes can only be implemented with the agreement of all parties involved. Similar guidelines will be introduced for the egg and fresh produce sectors, Reed plans to announce.