The NAO has warned that growing risks could put greater pressure on the UK’s food and farming supply chain
Defra may have to intervene more directly to protect Britain’s food supply as extreme weather, cyber-attacks and disease outbreaks become increasingly serious threats, the National Audit Office has warned.
The spending watchdog said the department has improved its emergency planning but has not done enough to involve farmers, food businesses, households, communities and local government in preparing for major disruption.
While the food supply chain remained largely resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic and disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, Defra is becoming less confident that farm businesses, food producers and the wider supply chain could withstand future shocks without greater government support.
Food is one of 13 sectors designated by the government as Critical National Infrastructure, reflecting its importance to the functioning of the country.
The NAO warned on Friday (4 September) that threats to the food supply chain are becoming more likely and severe, with climate change increasing the risk of extreme weather.
For farmers and growers, such disruption could affect production, distribution and the movement of food through the wider supply chain.
Defra has expanded its Food Supply Chain Resilience team and increased its focus on planning for catastrophic events that could seriously affect food availability.
However, the watchdog said more needs to be done to strengthen preparedness across agriculture, the food industry and the wider public.
Government research suggests UK households are less prepared for emergencies than those in several other countries.
Food supply chain businesses told the NAO that Defra worked closely with them during the Covid-19 pandemic, but engagement has been less frequent since then.
Industry representatives also had limited involvement in the development of Defra’s playbook for responding to food supply disruption.
The NAO warned this could increase the risk that emergency plans fail to work as intended in practice.
Businesses have also been largely excluded from national scenario exercises designed to test preparations for severe food supply disruption.
The last national exercise took place in 2023, and some businesses told the watchdog they would welcome greater involvement in future tests.
Local resilience forums have also reported uncertainty over what Defra would expect from them during a major disruption.
The report raised wider concerns about coordination across government.
Defra stated in 2025 that it had very little confidence that cross-government work to strengthen resilience was sufficiently joined-up, despite its involvement in several working groups and boards.
The department may also lack some of the legal powers needed to respond to a catastrophic event.
These could include the power to direct businesses to take emergency action to help maintain food supplies during a severe disruption.
The NAO said Defra should examine approaches used in other Critical National Infrastructure sectors and overseas to assess whether similar measures could strengthen the UK food system.
It also recommended refreshing engagement with food and farming businesses, reviewing emergency response plans and assessing whether existing legal powers would be sufficient during a major crisis.
Defra should also work with the Cabinet Office to ensure future efforts to improve household and community preparedness include clear guidance on food resilience, the watchdog said.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “Recent disruptions have shown the resilience of the UK’s food supply chain, but risks are increasing in likelihood and severity.”
He added: “Defra should learn from approaches taken in other countries, and strengthen preparedness for emergencies by testing plans with local government and industry.”