THE government isn’t doing enough to protect Britain’s food supply from the growing risks of climate crisis, disease and cyber-attacks, the public spending watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said that the flow of crucial food into the country must be able to withstand supply shocks that are becoming increasingly common and severe.

It called on the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) to work more closely with households, communities and businesses to ensure this.

NAO chief Gareth Davies said: “Recent disruptions have shown the resilience of the UK’s food supply chain, but risks are increasing in likelihood and severity.

“Defra should learn from approaches taken in other countries, and strengthen preparedness for emergencies by testing plans with local government and industry.”

The watchdog’s latest report added that the department had not done enough in recent years to get citizens and industry to plan for possible emergencies.

It warned Britain is particularly vulnerable as the country relies on overseas imports for more than a third of its food.

The NAO’s report comes after months of warnings about the resilience of the country’s food supply chain from experts who have told households to build up a stockpile of long-life items they could rely on in an emergency.

It recommended that Defra “refreshes its approach” to engaging with food supply chain businesses.

The department was also told to review both its “response plans to ensure they would be effective in practice” and the current legal powers it could use to respond to a catastrophic event that causes a severe food supply disruption.