Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has warned that Britain's food supply chain is vulnerable to disruptions from extreme weather, cyber-attacks, and climate change. According to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO), the government relies too heavily on private companies to handle such disruptions, which could lead to higher prices and shortages. The NAO found that UK households are less prepared for emergencies than those in other countries like Finland and Sweden. Dame Angela Eagle has urged people to stock up on food and prepare for extreme weather events, citing the upcoming El Niño event as a cause for concern.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that El Niño could be the strongest on record since records began four decades ago. The WMO predicts that El Niño will continue through February and warns of increased risks of extreme weather, including more extreme storms in countries such as Britain. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle told the Guardian that the powerful natural climate phenomenon will lead to "more extreme storms" in her country.
Scientists have been studying the link between global warming and El Niño, and a study published recently suggests that human-caused climate change may be making El Niño more extreme. This year's "super" El Niño is forecast to be the strongest on record, prolonging extreme heat, floods, and drought worldwide.
The WMO says it is highly likely that El Niño will persist through February, with a nearly 100% likelihood of its continuation. The strong language from the WMO underlies just how historic this El Niño is shaping up to be, with impacts already being felt throughout the world.
Written for “El Niño Weather Warning” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Households should stock up on food to prepare for extreme weather as the strongest El Niño event in a generation develops over the Pacific Ocean, a government minister has said.
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minister → publish → Ocean
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle told the Guardian the powerful natural climate phenomenon will lead to "more extreme storms in this country".
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phenomenon → tell → country
Her comments came as the National Audit Office (NAO) warned Britain's food supply chain is at risk given the growing threat of cyber-attacks and the climate crisis.
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chain → come → attacks
The NAO said the government was too reliant on the private sector to deal with food supply disruption.
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government → say → disruption
The government is due to unveil a strategy about preparing for national emergencies later this year.
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government → unveil → emergencies
Dame Angela said, external: "We're about to experience probably the largest El Niño that has ever been seen, and that will lead to drier summers, wetter winters, with more extreme storms in this country.
"
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that → say → country
It will do a lot more damage in Asia with flooding, and therefore I think that we need to take it seriously.
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we → do → it
"If you've got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going for a while before the emergency services can get to you, you're going to be a lot better off than if you haven't.
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you → get → you
Her comments came as an NAO report warned Britain's food supply chain is vulnerable to plant or human disease outbreaks, cyber-attacks and extreme weather.
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chain → come → outbreaks
It also cited climate change as a longer-term chronic risk which could leave Britain's food supply at risk.
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which → cite → risk
The disruptions could push up prices and leave vulnerable people struggling to buy food, it said.
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it → push → food
The NAO said the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) was too reliant on private companies to handle disruptions to food supply.
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Department → say → supply
It added the department had not done enough in recent years to improve supply chain resilience.
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department → add → resilience
UK households are less prepared for emergencies than those in several other countries such as Finland, Sweden and European Union nations, the NAO added.
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NAO → add → Finland
It said ministers should encourage households to prepare for supply chain disruptions and learn from the approaches taken by other countries.
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ministers → say → countries
Defra said the report showed food supply risks were becoming more complex and the government was working with farmers and industry to strengthen the UK's resilience.
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government → say → resilience
"While our food businesses and supermarkets have continued to feed the nation through significant disruption, we will carefully consider the report's findings and recommendations as part of our ongoing work to build a more resilient, productive and sustainable food system," a spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → continue → system
In July, the government announced plans to set out the "small but important steps" households can take to prepare for food and water shortages in the event of extreme weather or cyber-attacks.
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households → announce → weather
These will form a strategy to be unveiled by the end of 2026 aimed at bringing the UK closer into line with European countries in terms of emergency preparedness.
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These → form → preparedness
Phil Pluck, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, the body which represents firms transporting temperature-controlled foods, said Britain was "pretty close to crisis".
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Britain → represent → crisis
He told the BBC's Wake Up to Money programme that the country was being targeted by Russian cyber-hackers who "know that there are pinch points in the food supply system".
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who → tell → system
He added that El Niño, as well as global shipping disruption and the threat of pandemics, mean you cannot "just rely on the private sector coming through every single time".
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sector → add → pandemics
Asked whether people should be stocking up in case of disruptions, Pluck added: "Yes, we should.
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we → ask → disruptions
And the government in the autumn will be telling all of us to do that."
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government → tell → that
