GREEN Party leader Zack Polanski warned food workers today that their industry is “close to collapse” and called on the government to counter the twin threats of climate change and low pay.

In a speech to delegates at the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) conference, Mr Polanski said workers in the sector had been “sneered at.” He pointed to new research from the Auntonomy Institute which predicts that the price of British fruit and vegetables could rise by 170 per cent by 2050 as the climate crisis becomes the main driver of inflation.

He promised his party would, if elected to govern, extend free school meals to all children, in both primary and secondary schools, and implement a £1,000-a-month basic income for some agricultural workers.

This would be funded by a new tax on the wealthiest landowners, Mr Polanski explained.

The party would also implement a £15-per-hour minimum wage for all workers regardless of age, offsetting associated costs for small businesses “by reducing their National Insurance repayments,”  he said.

Mr Polanski also demanded the government offer a “real plan” to farmers, as he called for stronger regulation of supermarkets to make sure they offer food producers a fair deal.

“Just a couple of weeks ago, we saw the hottest May day ever recorded in the UK,” he said.

“By the beginning of May, the UK had received 23 per cent less rain than average. The climate change committee warns, that within 25 years,we could see temperatures above 40°C.

“As many of you in this room well know, it has terrifying implications for the most fundamental need we all have — food.”

The Green Party leader added that food workers have been “sneered at, shrugged off or taken for granted. Your pay doesn’t match the importance of the work you do — and doesn’t keep up with your rising bills.

“Your hours get longer, you’re expected to work in increasingly hot or wet conditions, you’re on a precarious contract, so you’re scared to take sick leave or have a day off to spend with your kids.

“The system is broken and, under increasing strain from the climate crisis, it’s close to collapse.”

A Labour spokesperson accused Mr Polanski of chasing “cheap headlines,” adding that under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the party was “the first to ever commit to maintaining domestic food production levels and bringing forward vital protections for farmers in the supply chain.”