Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the 'importance and fragility' of food security in the UK, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has said.
The union has called for political priorities to change as it fears the UK could be 'sleepwalking into a disaster' on maintaining food supply.
Farmers 'need confidence' from government to continue producing high-quality and affordable food, the UFU said, as skyrocketing input costs show no signs of easing.
Producers across the country are struggling to manage unprecedented inflationary costs, with input prices for diesel, electricity, steel and concrete having doubled.
Fertilisers, along with agricultural chemicals, have also tripled in price over the same time period.
UFU president David Brown warned that the UK's food security would 'take a massive hit' if government, and retailers, do not step in to ease the pressure.
“Regardless of what type of food a farmer is producing, the safest way to ensure you stay in business is to cut back on the amount you are producing which will reduce input costs on-farm.
"However, the implications of farmers doing this are hugely worrying for the rest of society as it would eventually result in food shortages," he warned.
To help prevent this from happening, government needed to give farmers confidence in the markets, "otherwise they’re not going to be able to endure a financial outlay this summer and autumn."
Mr Brown noted that governments in the EU were stepping up and supporting their farmers and growers, and the UK government needed to do the same.
“In particular, this summer will be a critical time in the production calendar, both for livestock and dairy farms planning their forage in the autumn and for crops in 2023.
"This is a key time to signal confidence for smooth ordering of inputs and reliable outputs for the next 18 months," Mr Brown added.
NFU Scotland's president Martin Kennedy recently warned that the ramifications of Ukraine war would have 'long lasting impacts' on the UK's ability to produce food.
He called for the government to have a 'reality check' and focus on food security as their number one policy priority, rather than climate change and biodiversity.
"It shocks me that so many, including the UK government and retailers, cannot see what is coming down the track," the Highland farmer said.
"We, as farmers, are well used to making business decisions early, sometimes years in advance because we understand the long-term consequences of not being prepared.
"That early decision making must come now from government and retailers. We must have a supply chain that works fairly across all sectors."
Similar concerns were highlighted in a recent survey of young farmers, in which the UK's food security was listed as the most important issue for future policy development.
