The UK says it wants to increase food production to help meet UN targets for an increase by 70% of global food output by 2050 but an overhaul of current practices will need to be made first, the environment secretary has warned.

Environment Secretary Hilary Been told news service BBC that a ‘strong domestic food production’ environment and ‘a global market’ would be needed if it was to succeed in the challenge.

He said the threat of disease, such as that seen with Mad Cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jako) in the UK some years ago, meant that the UK needed to be more than self-sufficient with its food production.

Reliance on trade between other nations would be required, hence, if production was to work to meet global and local demand.