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Environmental Impacts of the UK Food Economy with Particular Reference to WWF Priority Places and the North-East Atlantic

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Environmental Impacts of the UK Food Economy with Particular Reference to WWF Priority Places and the North-East Atlantic Environmental impacts of the UK food economy with particular reference to WWF Priority Places and the North-east Atlantic ! www.murphy-bokern.com Acknowledgements Many individuals contributed comments and provided access to evidence in completing this study. Dr Gail Smith and Prof. David Powlson in particular are thanked for their comments on the draft. Local WWF based experts in South America are thanked for their discussions. Rhett Butler (Mongabay) is also thanked for helping access key evidence from the Amazon. Disclaimer The information presented here has been thoroughly researched and is believed to be accurate and correct. However, the author cannot be held legally responsible for any errors. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, made with respect to the information provided. The author will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the content of this publication. All rights reserved. Donal Murphy-Bokern September 2008 © All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material presented here for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorised without any prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited. Donal Murphy-Bokern Murphy-Bokern Konzepte 48393 Lohne-Ehrendorf Germany www.murphy-bokern.com i Contents Executive summary 4 1 Introduction and methods 11 1.1 Background 11 1.2 WWF's Food Programme 11 1.3 Methodology 11 2 Trends in UK food consumption and supply 13 2.1 Trends in UK food consumption 13 2.2 Trends in UK food production 16 2.3 Trends in UK food imports 18 2.4 Overview of the UK food economy’s resource flows 26 3 Environmental impacts of food consumed in the UK 29 3.1 Global impacts 29 3.2 Greenhouse gas emissions 30 3.3 Agriculture and the nitrogen cycle 32 3.4 Crop-based agriculture and the carbon cycle 35 3.5 Eutrophication – nitrates, phosphates and ammonia 39 3.6 Soil loss – erosion and degradation 43 3.7 Soil as a pollutant of water, i.e. ‘silt’ 44 3.8 Agriculture and the hydrological cycle – water 45 3.9 Biodiversity 49 4 Direct impacts of food production for UK food consumption on WWF Priority Places and the north-east Atlantic 51 4.1 The Amazon 51 4.2 The Cerrado – The Brazilian Savannah 57 4.3 The Atlantic Forest 60 4.4 Choco-Darien Moist Forests 61 4.5 The Pantanal 61 4.6 The Fynbos 62 4.7 The Mediterranean Basin 63 4.8 Borneo and Sumatra 65 4.9 New Guinea forest 69 4.10 New Northern Great Plains 69 4.11 The north-east Atlantic and impacts of fish consumption 70 5 Discussion and policy conclusions 76 5.1 The environmental impacts from the production of food for the UK. 76 5.2 UK consumption 77 5.3 UK production 79 5.4 WWF’s Priority Places and the north-east Atlantic 80 5.5 Implications for policy 80 5.6 Public policy 85 6 References 87 Table 5: Vegetable oil exports to the UK (tonnes) 94 Table 6: Direct palm oil exports to the UK (tonnes) 94 Table 7: Sources of direct soy meal exports to the UK 95 Table 8: Sources of imports of tropical and sub-tropical fruit (tonnes) in 2005 95 Table 9: Sources of imports of non-citrus Mediterranean fruit (tonnes) in 2005 96 1 Table 10: Sources of imports of citrus fruit (tonnes) in 2005 97 Table 11: Sources of imports of temperate fruit (tonnes) 2005 98 Table 12: Estimated feedstuff inputs into UK consumed livestock products (K tonnes) 98 2 Foreword WWF is a science-based organisation. We advance our work on the basis of the best independent scientific evidence. This report was commissioned by WWF-UK in late 2007 to support the development of our One Planet Food programme, which we launched in 2009. The purpose of this work was to develop a common understanding of what the most significant factors are in the relationship between the provision of our food and the protection of our natural environment. In protecting the natural environment, WWF combines work in threatened habitats with strategic efforts to address the underlying economic and social pressures behind environmental degradation. Taken globally, food production accounts for 23% of humanity's ecological footprint. Some 38% of the world's ice-free land is farmed, while many of our fisheries are in a rapid state of decline. We are undermining many of the ecosystem services that are fundamental to our own well-being and the sustainability of our own global food systems. It is clear that we must regard our food system as a major component of our efforts to reduce pressures on the natural world. The purpose of this report was to help WWF orientate and prioritise its approach to food. It provides a review of the broad global impacts of UK food consumption, sets out the climate change effects, and considers the implications of food for the wider environment. WWF recognises that we can conserve much of life on Earth by conserving the most exceptional ecosystems and habitats – places that are particularly rich in biodiversity; places with unique animals and plants. To this end, we have identified 35 ‘Priority Places’ that require special protection. This study looks systematically at the connections between our food consumption and these Priority Places, and describes the impacts on them and how these may be reduced. We identify 10 Priority Places affected significantly by UK food consumption, and examine how we affect the north-east Atlantic ecoregion. Even though the majority of UK food is produced in the UK, our food system has a long reach in terms of environmental impact. In the development of our One Planet Food programme, our work has helped us gain a common understanding of what matters most. It has underpinned a deep debate in WWF and informed our interactions with our partners and with government on the issue. Our findings show clearly that we need to look beyond some current emblematic issues and focus on the underlying processes that matter most, in the full range of farming systems and the technologies used. It is vital that we foster sustainable consumption patterns, increase the resource-use efficiency of food production, increase the efficiency of nutrient use in agricultural systems, improve farmland as a habitat, and eliminate deforestation and other forms of land-use change to agriculture. These are big challenges. We invite you to be part of the solution. Mark Driscoll Head of One Planet Food Programme WWF-UK 3 Executive summary This study examines the impacts of the UK food economy to inform WWF policy on food. It takes an industrial ecological approach, examining the impacts of the UK food economy from a consumption perspective. The study comprises six interrelated activities: 1. A broad appraisal of the burdens arising from the UK food system with emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts on the nitrogen and water cycles, and impacts on biodiversity. 2. A detailed examination of trends in the consumption of food commodities. 3. An examination of the UK’s sourcing of food and the effects on global food commodity flows. 4. A systematic analysis of interactions between the UK food economy and food production affecting WWF’s 35 Priority Places. 5. A detailed appraisal of the effect of UK food on WWF Priority Places. 6. An assessment of the role that policy could play in furthering WWF interests through a consumer-oriented food policy. Approach The work is based on a detailed analysis of commodity consumption, production and trade data from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAOSTAT), the US Department of Agriculture, and a range of commercial sources. The sourcing of UK food, including animal feedstuffs, was examined. The burdens arising from the production of food under UK and similar European conditions were quantified using current estimates of the burdens associated with this production available from Defra research (Williams et al., 2006). This in turn informs a broad analysis of the literature on the burdens arising from UK food consumption. The work was initiated to inform the development of a food policy in WWF-UK. Interactions between the UK food economy and WWF’s 35 Priority Places are identified from the FAOSTAT Trade Matrix. The literature on the development of food production in relevant Priority Places was examined, especially for effects of changes in production on key ecosystems. The effects of food production in Priority Places, especially changes in food production, were examined in detail. UK consumption, production and imports Most of the food consumed in the UK comes from UK farms and fisheries. Although dependence on imports is increasing, the UK is about 58% self-sufficient in all foods, and about 72% self-sufficient in indigenous food. The trend between 1990 and 2005 was towards increasing reliance on imports associated with the combination of a 15% increase in commodity consumption and a decrease in UK agricultural output. Imports grew by 51% (by weight) between 1990 and 2005. An increase in the weight of commodity consumed could occur just through switching foods if high density foods such as meat and cereals are substituted by low density bulky foods such as fruit and vegetables. However, over the last 10 years, consumption has increased for nearly all commodities including meat. Statistics reveal reliance on near- neighbours for imported supplies of major commodities, particularly meats. Production in north- western Europe accounted for about 95% of meat and 90% of dairy supplies in 2005.
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