CITY FOOD & DRINK LECTURE 2025

The City Food & Drink Lecture is the leading food and drink industry event in the City of London, totally focussed on the sector, organised and supported by the City of London, and the 8 founding Livery Companies most close to the sector.

Please see below a view from Allan Wilkinson, CFDL Chair and Head of Agrifoods at HSBC UK on his thoughts from the evening.

“This year, the 24th City Food and Drink Lecture topic was “Preparing to farm in 2040, with success”. John Shropshire OBE gave the lecture- a refreshing assessment of what was needed to deliver a successful UK food supply chain from the perspective of a primary producer, the first such to give the lecture as a primary producer.

Food security and financial sustainability came first and foremost in his thoughts. Demonstrating his drive and sheer determination he reminded the c650 invited audience not to export abroad our carbon footprint in the sector by becoming more dependent on imported food.

The challenge was ours to solve and one we should embrace. John was more than up for that challenge, using his track record to endorse his focus. Efficiency and relentless investment in the people involved in the sector, its image and new technology were all required to seize this opportunity. Soil he argued, is our most precious resource, one we must learn so much more of.”

Other key highlights from John’s address: John Shropshire OBE opened the 24th City Food and Drink lecture, ‘Preparing to farm for 2040, with success', by emphasising the need for a clear vision in food and farming, with food security as the top priority. John believes that resilience and doing the right thing by continuously adapting is the way forward and the farming industry must embrace new technologies such as AI and precision farming. John went on to unpack his views on succession and family farming stating that the biggest challenge for most family businesses is the high value of land relative to its earning potential and we should be focused more on how well we farm and how well we care for our soil and the wildlife on the farm.

There is too much status attached to the value of land and not the management of farming. On sustainability John said, "we need to care for the environment, be responsible stewards of the land and leave it in a better condition than we find it, whilst supplying the nation with healthy, fresh produce.

To do this, we must embrace innovation." John concluded this year’s City Food and Drink Lecture with the following key points: - - - Climate change is a threat to the world but it is also an opportunity for British farmers in our temperate climate, if we adapt and invest to realise it. We must relentlessly invest in the future. In soils through regenerative farming techniques, in wildlife and biodiversity, in new technologies and in analysing this data to inform decision making. Above all we must listen to consumers and customers and never stop learning. 

The panel discussion that followed the lecture highlighted a series of critical topics impacting the food and farming industry, here are a few insights from the session. Katie Pettifer highlighted the importance of purpose and respect in retaining talent within the food sector, advocating for a strategy that balances growth, sustainability, affordability and health. Henry Dimbleby stressed the UK’s food sector as the largest employer and called for addressing exploitation and boosting exports. Jack A Bobo encouraged making food and agriculture more appealing to young people, while John Shropshire emphasised the challenge of promoting fresh produce consumption, particularly in schools, and overcoming price-driven consumer habits.