POLICY PULSE – APRIL 2026
POLICY HEADLINES
What’s Happening
Whilst an uneasy truce may be minimising open conflict in the Middle East, it has not succeeded in opening the Strait of Hormuz to allow key oil and liquid gas supplies to fully resume. This, and the continued uncertainty of what happens next, is keeping wholesale oil prices high and also placing the availability of other UK food system commodities like CO2 under threat.
The impacts are already hitting UK food businesses, with operators seeing surging diesel prices and electricity prices soon to follow. Significant food inflation, estimated at around 10% is inevitable, with the Government warning that higher prices could last for eight months after the end of the war.
Phil has been busy over the last month with significant media interest over the ongoing impacts to the cold chain, in particular supporting calls for government action to reduce fuel duty and the impact of food inflation on businesses and communities – we’ve also written to the Chancellor with our concerns.
For now, the Government is playing a waiting game, hoping the conflict ends soon and putting off any support for critical industries for as long as possible and creating uncertainty for businesses. Click here for Ameresco’s latest analysis on future energy prices.
Elsewhere, despite the unfortunate cancellation of this year’s Parliamentary Reception, the CCF policy team have been gearing up for the launch of our ground breaking White Paper on the cold chain’s role in food security, responding on behalf of members to consultations on energy network reform and the ongoing UK-EU negotiations on a new trade agreement for animal and plant products.
ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT
What we’re doing
The Cold Chain Federation Food Resilience White Paper
We are now in the final stages of development for a landmark white paper focused on the UK’s food resilience and security, and the essential role the cold chain plays in underpinning both. This piece of work could not come at a more relevant and poignant time, as the Middle East conflict continues to cause uncertainty and volatility across supply chains.
The paper, officially launching on June 2nd, will set out a clear, evidence-based case for why the cold chain should be considered a fundamental component of national infrastructure, alongside a detailed assessment of the risks it faces and the implications for the UK’s ability to maintain access to essential goods during times of disruption (and of course, at all over times).
Through our official launch, taking place in London, we will present our findings and urgent recommendations directly to relevant MPs, ensuring they take a clear message away with them: you can’t have national security without food security, and you cannot have food security without the cold chain. So, it must be recognised, it must be supported and it must be protected to the same degree other critical national infrastructure is.
Here at the CCF, we have long been making the case for the criticality of our sector. At a time when ‘food security’ is less of a buzz word, but now a real, grave concern, not only to our sector, but a growing number of academics, parliamentarians and media outlets – our paper aims to offer a solution.
Cold Chain Federation Respond to the Accelerating Energy Networks Consultation
This month we responded to the Government’s electricity networks consultation on behalf of the temperature-controlled logistics sector, supporting reforms that would speed up access to grid connections for ‘nationally important’ projects. With a major focus of the consultation being on ensuring strategic demand projects (those considered nationally important) are prioritised for faster grid connections, it was important to make clear that any definition of “strategic demand” must explicitly include cold chain infrastructure, given its essential role in UK food security, public health, and supply chain resilience.
Our response highlighted that the cold chain underpins more than half of the UK’s food supply and a significant proportion of life-saving pharmaceuticals, making reliable and timely electricity access critical for storage, refrigeration, transport electrification, and digital monitoring systems. We argued that without recognition as strategic infrastructure, cold chain projects risk being delayed by grid constraints, despite growing demand and increasing pressure on food and healthcare supply chains.
Finally, we supported incentivised flexible connections, recognising that cold stores can contribute to grid balancing and energy flexibility where operational safety allows. However, we cautioned against mandatory flexibility requirements that could compromise temperature-sensitive goods or product integrity.
You can read our full consultation response here.
Cold Chain Federation Respond to EU-UK SPS Agreement Call for Information
Even the most staunch advocates for Brexit would have a hard time arguing that the introduction of a strict customs regime for animal and plant products between the UK and the EU hasn’t been disastrous for UK exports and food inflation, with food exports to the EU down 40% from pre-Brexit and the London School of Economics estimating it has added over £7bn to the price of food.
So the policy u-turn to remove the most significant cause of border disruption, red tape and cost, EHC certificates and most border checks, on both sides of the Channel must be welcomed, albeit with a large dose of eye rolling that here we are again talking about another set of major border changes to undo what businesses have spent years adjusting to. The basis of our response to Defra’s call for information on the proposed SPS agreement with the EU, submitted this week, was that whilst we agree that the Government’s objectives could reduce costs, remove the complicated GB-NI system developed under the Windsor Agreement and provide a boost to UK exports to the EU, Defra must learn from mistakes of the past during its implementation. The proposed go-live date of ‘mid-2027’ without a transition period for food manufacturers to address regulatory divergence that has occurred since Brexit appears wildly unrealistic, they must address concerns over food security, ensure proper engagement with the industry as the proposals develop and consider a compensation scheme for businesses that have invested in ‘white elephant’ infrastructure.
Read our response here and look out for updates when Defra publish the full details over the summer.
MPs Engaging on Cold Chain in Parliament
What we are highly encouraged to see is the mounting level of interest in the cold chain, and issues relevant to our sector, across parliament. Whilst momentum has certainly been building for months, recent weeks and the ongoing war in the Middle East, has shone a spotlight on our sector and the role it plays in UK food security and resilience. We are witnessing a growing number of MPs raising questions about the sector’s role in national resilience, food security, and supply chain stability. Helen Maguire MP has submitted multiple questions to the Department for Transport on the support available to help the cold chain manage rising operating costs, fuel prices, and wider pressures facing the sector. Meanwhile, Gareth Snell MP has raised specific questions relating to cold storage logistics, reflecting growing awareness of the infrastructure required to maintain resilient supply chains.
Food security has also remained high on the parliamentary agenda. Tim Farron MP has continued to speak prominently on food stocks and resilience during periods of crisis, whilst Dr Simon Opher MP has questioned the strength of the UK’s food security framework, or lack thereof. Although ministers have largely maintained the position that the UK has strong food resilience, there is clearly a growing recognition across parliament that deeper scrutiny is needed into just how secure and resilient our food system really is.
We are engaging directly with those MPs who are showing an interest in our sector and an understanding of its importance. Through this engagement, we are building a network of cross-party cold chain advocates, to ensure that no matter the political turmoil we might find ourselves in in future weeks, months, or years, we have built a strong awareness of our sector that will withstand change.
WHAT TO WATCH
What’s Ahead
Finalised F-Gas Consultation Proposals (Summer 2026): The UK Government is expected to publish finalised proposals from the F-Gas Consultation this summer, confirming how quickly fluorinated gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump systems will be phased down over the coming years. The proposals are likely to influence equipment choices, refrigerant availability, servicing requirements, and long-term investment planning across cold chain, food distribution, and building services sectors. Businesses using high-global-warming-potential refrigerants may need to prepare for tighter restrictions and accelerated transition timelines.
Conclusion and full details of negotiated UK and EU agreement on future Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (Spring/Summer 2026): Full details of the negotiated UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement are anticipated in spring/summer 2026, marking a potentially important reset in post-Brexit trade relations. The agreement could make it easier to move food and agricultural goods between the UK and EU by reducing border checks and simplifying paperwork, helping to improve the movement of perishable products and reduce delays at the border.
National Audit Office report on resilience of the UK food supply chain to disruptions (Summer 2026): The National Audit Office (NAO) is due to publish a report in summer 2026 assessing how resilient the UK food supply chain is to disruption. The review is expected to examine risks linked to labour shortages, transport constraints, extreme weather, geopolitical instability, energy prices, and import dependency. Its findings could influence future government policy on food security, infrastructure resilience, and contingency planning across the supply chain. The CCF have directly engaged with the NAO on their study, highlighting the critical role the sector plays in resilient food supply.
Decarbonisation Strategy for Non-Road Mobile Machinery (TBC): A Decarbonisation Strategy for Non-Road Mobile Machinery, which includes Transport Refrigeration Units, has yet to receive a confirmed publication date. The strategy is expected to explore how emissions from off-road equipment can be reduced through cleaner fuels, electrification, hybrid technologies, and operational efficiency improvements. For refrigerated transport operators, the proposals may signal future regulatory direction and provide early indications of funding support, compliance requirements, or technology transition pathways.
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE CHECK
Food security is now receiving growing political attention, with increasing discussion around resilience and supply chain preparedness, especially in times of crisis, as we are witnessing now.
The cold chain plays a vital role in ensuring food remains safe, available, and accessible, ensuring the most vulnerable communities get the vital products they need. As pressure and volatility continues to grow, questions are increasingly being asked about how resilient the UK’s food supply chain truly is.
We’d like to understand how resilient you believe the UK’s food supply chain currently is. Please take a moment to share your view in our poll. The poll will close 12/05/2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR FEEDBACK ON ANY ISSUES IN THIS BRIEFING PLEASE CONTACT MADDY COUPE POLICY MANAGER [email protected].
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