Committees

Resilience of the UK's food supply to disruptions

Inquiry

The UK’s food supply chain is complex, made up of many privately owned businesses across agriculture, retail, and catering. A catastrophic disruption to the UK’s food supply from could lead to impacts including shortages, inflation, and lack of access to food for vulnerable groups. Government aims to influence the sector to increase its resilience, and could step in to support in the event of a severe disruption unmanageable by the private sector alone. 

The PAC has a long-standing interest in resilience to societal risk. Its 2025 report on resilience to animal diseases such as bird flu warned of inadequate levels of preparation by government, while similarly its report on resilience to extreme weather in 2024 found a lack of clarity for communities in how to deal with these challenges. Its report on flood defences in the same year found that government did not know if it was making progress towards its ambition of a nation more resilient to flooding. 

The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its report on the resilience of the food supply chain to disruptions in summer 2026, examining whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is taking effective action to ensure the UK food supply chain is resilient to shocks and disruptions. 

Proceeding from the NAO’s report, the PAC will take evidence from witnesses including senior Defra officials on subjects including risks to the supply chain, the likely impact of disruption to it, and preparedness levels. 

If you have evidence on these issues, please submit using the link below by 23:59 on 7 October 2026.

Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases.  If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues. 

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 7 October 2026.

Upcoming events

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Past events

Thursday 15 October 2026
9:30am Private
10:00am Public
Resilience of the UK's food supply to disruptions - Oral evidence 15 October 2026
10:00am
  • Paul Kissack (Permanent Secretary at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Emily Miles (Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Helen Dallas (Interim Deputy Director, Food Preparedness and Response at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Monday 12 October 2026
3:00pm Private
3:30pm Public
Resilience of the UK's food supply to disruptions - Oral evidence 12 October 2026
3:30pm
  • Jim Bligh (Corporate Affairs Director at British Retail Consortium)
  • Balwinder Dhoot (Director of Sustainability and Growth at Food and Drink Federation)
  • Harry Metcalfe (Owner at Harry's Farm)
4:45pm
  • Professor Tim Lang (Emeritus Professor of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London)
  • Professor Neil Ward (Professor at School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

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We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.