“The challenge of feeding everybody with the constraints of climate change and weather shocks is so great we need a complete rethink,” he said.
Plenty of scope
Since the UK was only about 62% self sufficient in overall food production, Kendall said there was“plenty of scope” for big producers while accommodating smaller scale ones.
In addition to helping to stop rising food prices, more profitable super farms find it easier to protect the environment and animals, he said.
Last year, a planning application from Nocton Dairies in Lincolnshire to house 8,000 dairy cows was withdrawn due to concerns about water pollution.
Elsewhere, super herds are not uncommon. A dairy super herd in Saudi Arabia numbers more than 36,000 animals.
Rejecting criticism of so-called mega farms, Kendall told the Guardian newspaper the government should allow some farms to keep several thousand animals.
