Free global trade may threaten our food supplies

Scientists from the UK Research Councils’ Rural Economy and Land Use Programme said increasing global trade may put us at greater risk from pathogens in the future, as more exotic diseases enter the country. 

In a special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, the academics took a fresh look at infectious diseases of animals and plants and said the process was already happening.

The report said climate change was driving shifts in cropping patterns across the world and they could take pests and diseases with them.  

They have also seen completely new pathogens evolve, while existing ones develop the ability to infect new hosts. 

“During the 20^th century the number of new fungal, bacterial and viral diseases in plants appearing in Europe rose from less than five per decade to over 20,” the report said.

“But these problems are exacerbated by human behaviour, and understanding this could be key to helping policymakers deal with risk and uncertainty.

“In many cases the spread of disease is caused by increased trade, transport and travel. Trends in the international horticultural industry have been towards fewer, larger producers, supplying vast numbers of retailers. Thus, disease which begins in one location may be spread far and wide.” 

Director of the Relu Programme, professor Philip Lowe said: “We live in a global economy: we have seen in the recent E coli outbreak in Germany, how the complexity of the food chain can increase risk and uncertainty. 

“Ultimately we may have to take a more precautionary approach to the movement of animal and plants, and recognise that free trade could, in some cases, pose unacceptable risks.”

Scientists said changes in the livestock trade had similar effects at national level. Reduction in income per animal, and the introduction of mechanisation, meant that fewer farmers manage more animals per farm, and animals are moved around more frequently. 

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