The nation is at high risk of a food crisis if the Government does not act fast to support British farmers, according to the new National Farmers' Union vice president.

David Exwood presented his concerns at the Royal Bath and West Show on Thursday, June 2, telling attendees that the closeness of war and the threat of a global food crisis are being compounded as consumption continues to rise.

"We don’t know what a food crisis is going to look like, or what shape it might take," he said.

"But we know that food doesn’t come out of thin air and it’s a hard thing to produce - now we have the perfect storm of global production problems and political crisis. Food security and strategic supply matters: It’s unlikely we’re going to run out of food on the shelves, but what will be available, and the price of it, we still don’t really know.

"For farmers, this time of uncertainty and volatility is unnerving - only exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

"The serious war in Europe has changed the landscape. We have to think about those farmers and what people are going through not so far away."

"The risk of farming is greater than ever and that has created a great deal of uncertainty - farmers certainly don’t feel very confident.

“We have to achieve clean water and air, increase biodiversity and our food production - from the same land at the same time. These are extraordinary challenges, but that’s what we need to do.

"And it isn’t all doom and gloom; it’s also a really exciting time for agriculture. As a farmer, I’m enjoying farming more than ever. There’s a lot of good happening on farms across the country - farmers are doing a fantastic job.”