UK skills shortage threatens food security and a £41 billion land-based sector
Lantra says the UK’s widening skills gap across agriculture and related land-based industries is putting food security, rural jobs and a sector valued at £41 billion at risk.
Lantra has warned that underinvestment in land-based skills is becoming a direct risk to the United Kingdom’s food security. The warning covers not only farming, but also horticulture, aquaculture, forestry and environmental land management. According to the organisation, these industries collectively manage more than 80 per cent of the UK’s land and contribute around £41 billion a year in societal value.
The report says the land-based sector itself adds £2.5 billion in gross value added and supports 452,900 jobs, many of them in rural and remote communities. Farming, including horticulture and aquaculture, underpins a much broader agri-food supply chain worth about 6 per cent of the UK economy and linked to 4.2 million jobs. That means labour shortages in primary production and related services now have consequences far beyond individual farms.
Lantra also points to the country’s dependence on imports. The UK imports roughly £64 billion of food, drink and feed each year, while the trade deficit in those products has risen by 20 per cent since 2005. Although the country exports about £24.5 billion annually, heavy reliance on external supply chains leaves the domestic system exposed to climate shocks, geopolitical disruption and economic volatility. In Lantra’s view, building stronger domestic supply chains starts with rebuilding workforce capacity.
Skills England data cited in the report shows that around six in ten jobs in land-based industries are now classed as high-demand occupations, more than twice the economy-wide average. At the same time, the sector currently provides about 65 per cent of the food consumed domestically in the UK. Lantra argues that without better training access, stronger coordination between government and industry, and clearer career pathways, the country risks further weakening its own productive base and increasing dependence on imported food.
The report also makes an economic case for training investment. It estimates that a worker with a Level 3 qualification in agriculture, horticulture and animal care generates about £38,000 in net economic value over a working lifetime, while Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships generate around £90,000 and £76,000 respectively. Lantra is calling for land-based skills to be recognised as a national priority, with frameworks aligned to food security, nature recovery and climate resilience, and with training made more accessible for small and rural businesses.