AS I write this column, areas of our country have recorded temperatures soaring as high as 35 degrees, with other parts experiencing drought.

The severity of the weather has also led to the imposition of hosepipe bans, as well as countless European rivers drying up.

For some, basking in the sunshine is what’s most important short-term, but this is neglecting a long-term problem facing the western world.

The untold damage being caused by the weather will have a negative and profound impact upon farmers’ abilities to produce food and drink.

The drought is parching the landscape, causing vegetation to shrivel across Europe and in parts of the UK – a worrying trend that we’ve heard on the news all too often of late.

The world is already badly suffering from a food crisis, caused by Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but this latest debacle will only add to already-existing anxieties.

This really does demonstrate the importance for us to enhance food security across the United Kingdom to ensure food remains accessible and affordable.

My Food (Wales) Bill – which I’ve spoken of previously – would do just that by delivering on the following objectives:

Introducing ‘Food Goals’: including a ‘primary food goal’ to put in place an overarching duty for the provision of affordable, healthy, and economically and environmentally sustainable food; supplemented by ‘secondary food goals’ in specific areas.

Establishing a Welsh Food Commission: including powers to monitor and report on progress towards government commitments, as well as statutory commitments, and to oversee the delivery of the Food Goals and food plans.

National Food Strategies and Local Food Plans: to require public bodies to have regard to existing policy and legislative commitments – including the Future Generations Act, as well as international agreements such as the UN Development Goals – when designing food policy.

Tackling food waste: reducing the food waste created by food producers and consumers is set out as one of the secondary food goals.

I believe it’s more important than ever for us to get a grip of our food security – future generations are depending on us to do so.

You can make your view known on my proposed Bill, by visiting: https://bit.ly/3QMB0u3