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Gordon Brown To Press G8 For Action On Food Prices
[SEE ALSO: G8 LEADERS SUMMIT 2008 - SCOOP FULL COVERAGE]
PM to press for action on food prices
Monday 8:05 am
Hokkaido
Cereal production in the developing world must increase to help meet worldwide demand for food, according to a new UK Government report.
If developing countries were reaching their food production potential, global output would be much higher, far fewer people would go hungry and social instability around the world would decrease, says the paper.
Gordon Brown is to use the G8 meeting of world leaders to push for global action to deal with rising food prices, by focussing on coping with increasing demand, and addressing worldwide food waste.
The Cabinet Office report says that rising demand for food, climate change, and trade and productivity restrictions must all be addressed to ease the pressure on people in the UK and around the world.
Both businesses and households could do more to reduce food waste by improving transport, storage and preparation techniques. It is estimated that the UK could save £420 per household every year by not throwing away an estimated 4.1 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten.
Britain will also be releasing the Gallagher review on the use of biofuels, which concludes that more needs to be done to understand the link between the fuel and its effects on food supply. The UK will argue that the G8 must work to develop new global benchmarks for sustainable biofuel production and use.
The Prime Minister will also be pushing for the G8 to increase aid and investment in African agricultural production. The richest economies on the planet must also create an early warning system for food supply, take a strategic position on global food production, and support agricultural research.
Mr Brown will push for an urgent conclusion to the Doha Development Round of international trade talks.
The UK has already pledged more than $1 billion in response to rising global food prices.
ENDS
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