I am a former knowledgeable CBRN person and sat on advisory panels for my own countries energy, food, and medical security policies, so while certainly not a food security expert, I probably have more exposure than most to the food security challenges of island nations in the East Atlantic.
Great Britain, which excludes NI, has a roughly 60% calorie self-sufficiency ratio and quite literally cannot feed itself without imports.
Ireland and Northern Ireland can many times over, in principle even if spare parts and fuel were blockaded, although it would be an uninspiring diet.
I am certainly open to further education as this area interests me and my country is woefully unprepared for any interruption to global supply chains, especially in relation to fuel and medical supplies, so I continue to make policy submissions in this area.
That's comparing production means today with an inflated population due to uncontrolled migration.
(Main confronting factor to pop growth in last few years so can't be avoided as topic).
Comparing blockade numbers to peace time production is a false equivalency.
Am I saying there won't be unrest no, but you just started a scenario by blockading Britain. If you think we don't produce enough food, it's about the only thing we actual do produce here other than empty city promises and patents.
The country would eat itself before the means of food production hits the top 5 of our problems if honestly bet.
The country has capacity to engage in intensive farming of several means which we currently do not because of animal rights concerns, lack of manpower etc.
In a blockade scenario animal rights go out the window to a starving populace. Food waste is addressed in several means and we start engaging in battery farming and crop yields yes move to calorific content vs serving the Ritz their flav d'jour.
And let's not pretend NI is included under any sensible scenario other than the British military blockading and subsuming control of RoI. There's no scenario where a blockade of Britain as an island would leave us "struggling to feed NI with RoI being supported by the European block" as another absolutist.
> The country has capacity to engage in intensive farming of several means which we currently do not because of animal rights concerns, lack of manpower etc. In a blockade scenario animal rights go out the window to a starving populace. Food waste is addressed in several means and we start engaging in battery farming and crop yields yes move to calorific content vs serving the Ritz their flav d'jour.
Not to be rude, but your Government, MOD, and think-tanks disagree with you. The latent capacity of UK agriculture is estimated to be able to feed approximately 80-90% of the population, which for context is similar to the amount of food available (including external aid) in South Sudan now.
> And let's not pretend NI is included under any sensible scenario other than the British military blockading and subsuming control of RoI. There's no scenario where a blockade of Britain as an island would leave us "struggling to feed NI with RoI being supported by the European block" as another absolutist.
The UK does not have the ability to militarily conquer Ireland, let alone survive the consequences, so this is, well, delusional.
I honestly do not think you are well informed enough to form a valid opinion on this topic, which explains your reactive and emotion-driven comments
80%+ at peace time. I.e. not with mandated farming practices and not with a national focus as part of priority to fix this.
Unlike the Sudan we don't produce the remaining 15%+/-5 because we're a wealthy nation and can engage and have become semi-reliant a little on trade. And our tastes have changed as a result of the availability of luxury goods.
This is wildly different to not having capacity or infrastructure which can be tweaked. (I'm not saying magically tonnes of milk and honey appear from nowhere) And this is ignoring the scary word of rationing.
Sudan either can't, won't or is constrained from producing the missing part of the food required to feed their people. But that's more linked to US foreign policy than this hypothetical discussion otherwise.
Edit in not even touching RoI vs UK army. I'm not pretending any show down would be bloodless, but the UK has a few plain numerical overwhelming superiorities. Again stating simple facts.
No, in any time, as is the definition of latent capacity.
> Edit in not even touching RoI vs UK army. I'm not pretending any show down would be bloodless, but the UK has a few plain numerical overwhelming superiorities. Again stating simple facts.
The Cold War British Armed Forces were unable to hold the farmland of Northern Ireland against 3,000 members of PIRA, let alone the current forces against the island now. Those are the facts in the history books.
You are delusional, living in a worldview that never matched reality and diverges more each day.
> domestic food security and diversity.
Aside from switzerland who else is so well placed for this in geographical Europe?
ITS AN ISLAND