Letter from Brussels - March 2026

In July of last year, the EU Commission launched an EU stockpiling strategy. It is a sign of the times we live in that the strategy is designed to secure essential goods such as food, water, oil, fuel and medicines in the event of a crisis such as major energy blackouts, natural disasters, conflicts or pandemics. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the food supply chain and underlined the importance of food security and supply. In the current geopolitical and cyber-attack-vulnerable world, some countries are already well advanced in preparedness: for example, Finland, which of course shares the longest border of any EU country with Russia. Their comprehensive plan, which my Finnish colleague presented to a group recently, shows the pan-sectoral and political alliance plan in the event of crises. It includes the tactical stockpiling of grains (for nine months’ use), seeds, feed ingredients, fertiliser, raw materials and plant protection products. It is State tendered with operators responsible for stockpiling and circulating the stock. From an operating infrastructural perspective, a nationwide network of sites capable of independent operation, especially in severe power outage situations, have been identified.
They include retail grocery stores and fuel distribution stations which have been equipped to deal with an emergency with stock power back-up generators, secured ICT-cash register and payment systems, and preparedness to continue services on a long-term basis. This ensures that the basic needs of the population are met, maintaining the functioning and resilience of the society.
Speaking at the National Farmers Union (NFU) conference in Birmingham last month, Tim Lang who is Professor Emeritus for food policy at the University of London was sobering in his analysis of the resilience of the UK food supply chain when he said: “In recent years, the UK food system has prided itself on being ‘just in time’ – especially during the Covid-19 epidemic. But now it needs to be less complacent, with a more ‘just in case’ mindset.” Professor Lang has spent two years researching a report, Just in Case: Narrowing the UK Civil Food Resilience Gap for the National Preparedness Commission. It’s a good blueprint about how exposed our food supply chain is, and ergo, our farmers to a global shock. This is something we are going to be hearing a lot more of in 2026.