Over 11,000 members of the public have sent a letter to their local MP calling for tighter regulations of the supermarkets to prevent unfair buying practices which squeeze smaller farmers out the market.
The Farmers Against Farmwashing campaign said the public support had been “overwhelming”.
Farmwashing is when supermarkets use fake farm brands and the overuse of the Union Jack to give shoppers the impression that their products come from British family farms.
“The public’s response to our Farmers Against Farmwashing campaign shows how much people care about where their food comes from and their desire to support real British farmers – the ones doing right by the land, their animals, and the planet,” said Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic.
“We’ve got a real opportunity for change,” he added. “It’s time for supermarkets and the new government to listen and act so British farms can thrive, not just survive.”
The letter to MPs included recommendations by Sustain on policy and has called for tighter regulations of the supermarkets.
It has also called for the strengthening and expanding of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, which is the regulator responsible for ensuring supply chain fairness.
It urged closing regulatory gaps to better protect farmers and make it easier for them to speak out against unfair practices.
A plan is also in place for the campaign group to talk directly to Jonathan Reynolds, secretary of state for Business and Trade, who oversees the remit of the regulation, at a roundtable event, it said.
Riverford’s research shows that 61% of farmers are concerned they will have to give up their farms within the next 18 months, and despite claims from the UK’s ‘Big Six’ supermarkets of supporting British farmers to the tune of billions, only 1 in 4 (25%) farmers believe these claims are credible and backed up by supermarket buying behaviour.
“The new Labour government must act swiftly to ensure a fairer deal for farmers,” said Will White, sustainable farming co-ordinator at Sustain. “A crucial step would be addressing the broken food supply chain regulations. Farmers deserve fair compensation for the risks they take to produce the food we all depend on.”
An open letter issued as part of the campaign has been signed by over 100 leading figures and counting, including Cat Smith MP, Jimmy Doherty, Rick Stein, William Chase, Ben Goldsmith, David Chadwick MP and Ben Lake MP as well as industry bodies such as Sustain, FFCC and Soil Association.
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