British farmers no longer believe there is “honor and profit” in farming, the boss of one of Britain’s most famous steakhouses has warned.
Will Beckett, co-founder of Hawksmoor, said the UK faces a “huge problem” because many farmers are leaving the industry.
Mr Beckett said: “I think it is right to say that Britain has an agricultural problem. If there is no honor and profit in agriculture – in fact, this is not true – if farmers feel [they] we can’t make money, or it’s not worth it, it’s not enjoyable, we have a huge problem.”
His comments come after years of discontent among farmers, who have been forced to contend with post-Brexit labor shortages, EU bureaucracy and rising fertilizer and energy costs after the invasion of Ukraine. There have also been accusations that large supermarket chains have reduced the sector’s profit margins to unsustainable levels.
The National Farmers Unions and other industry groups wrote to all party leaders before last month’s elections, urging them to present a plan for food securitywarning: “It would be unwise to assume that our food system will always withstand shocks.”
Mr Beckett said: “We are nowhere near self-sustainable in terms of food. We import a huge amount. I think it is still a priority for the government to increase our food self-sufficiency – for this to happen, agriculture has to work. And there are clearly agricultural areas where this is not true.”
Hawksmoor runs 13 restaurants in the UK, Dublin, New York and Chicago, and all steak sold in the UK comes from Britain. It is consistently ranked among the best steakhouses in the world.
Beckett added: “There are a lot of farmers, like many of ours, who are just trying to find different routes to get to market because they know they will receive an adequate price for their produce.”
He added that the recent fad to go vegan was largely just “hype” and “noise”, adding that some of the practices involved could be harmful to agriculture.
Mr Beckett said: “It breeds or encourages a monoculture attitude towards farming which I don’t think is particularly healthy.
“[Farmers] don’t just think about cows, they will invest money in building reservoirs that attract insects so that more birds come. If you are monoculture soybeans, guess what? The land is not good, the wildlife and insects simply disappear, and the soil health deteriorates.”
Hawksmoor is currently considering a potential sale that would cost up to £100 million, according to reports. A document sent to potential investors, seen by The Telegraph, states that its annual turnover now exceeds £100 million. The network is currently majority owned by private equity firm Graphite.
Beckett – son of prominent wine journalist Fiona Beckett – and his business partner Huw Gott founded the chain in 2006. Both founders are expected to retain their stakes and continue leading the company if Hawksmoor changes hands, it has been reported.
Hawksmoor is one of a handful of restaurants that has been credited with driving the revival of the traditional steakhouse in Britain in recent decades.
