All Eyes On Copenhagen

As over 100 world leaders gathered to discuss global warming (and the sceptics continued to doubt the research behind it), 30,000 protesters marched the streets of London.

The Sunday Times assigned five articles to the two-week summit.

Coverage addressed both the sceptics (the online ‘Climate Audit’ community airing more than 60,000 ‘technical doubts’ a day) and the scientists (quoting statistics such as ‘86% of the world’s glaciers appear to be shrinking’).

Apart from the odd (admittedly rather large) nod to food supply – ‘This is the greatest threat the human race has faced’  - specific concerns about how climate change is affecting the food industry were largely glossed over.

And yet at a Farming Futures’ irrigation event just last month, 60 growers from the Vale of Evesham discussed how to make their businesses sustainable as climate change affects water availability.

The event was supported by the Environment Agency and the UK Irrigation Association.

88% of delegates said that they were either ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about the impacts of climate change on food production.

100% said they were ‘concerned’ about future water availability.

But to what extent will the fine food industry be affected and what do retailers need to know to safeguard their businesses?

Graham Harvey, will address exactly these questions in the January issue of Speciality Food.

Journalist and author, he has been at the forefront of contemporary agriculture for the past decade and is also the agricultural editor of long-running BBC drama, The Archers.

Look out for our Think Tank interview on pages 12 – 14, available from 4th January 2010.