27 October 2011, 13:57 PM
  • Farming Minister Jim Paice has said consumers will have to start paying higher prices for food to allow farmers to produce more whilst impacting less on the environment

At the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Mr Paice announced that the era of cheap food was over and that farmers should take advantage of growing consumer interest in buying local.

He also said that workers across the whole food industry should come together to cut chain supply costs.

Speaking at a Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Mr Paice commented, “We are facing a period where we will see very real food inflation over the coming years. We have to realise the cost we pay for ingredients has to meet the cost of production.

“The challenge is that encouraging people to buy local has to be more than philanthropic support of local businesses. We need to make the public realise it’s in their self interest and that of the community to buy local and that it’s competitive, better quality and so on.”