The Food and Farming Secretary Thérèse Coffey has provided a boost to British farmers with a package of measures to help people “buy British” and provide farmers with the cashflow they need to invest in their businesses.
Building on the commitment to keep producing 60% of the food we consume here in the UK, and providing a boost to the UK’s £127 billion food and farming sector, the Food and Farming Secretary has backed calls for industry-led action to signpost customers to ‘buy British’ when they shop online and will support campaigns to endorse the taste and quality of home-grown meat and dairy products.
The government has also confirmed that farmers producing sustainable British food under our environmental land management schemes will be able to use them to help meet public procurement standards, benefiting our British farmers and allowing the public sector to benefit from more excellent British food.
To ensure British produce is enjoyed both at home and around the world, the government has started the recruitment drive appointment of five extra agri-food attaches to unlock new trading markets, adding a further boost to the UK’s food and drink exports which bring £24 billion to the British economy.
Food and Farming Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
“This government will always back British farmers who produce some of the highest quality food in the world, contribute billions to our economy, and are the custodians of our countryside.
“These announcements are acting on commitments made at the Farm to Fork Summit and driving forward our new farming schemes to deliver a profitable and sustainable food and farming sector that delivers for people and our planet now and into the future.”
The government’s flexible and accessible farming schemes are supporting farmers to produce high-quality food while delivering for the environment. An increasing number of farmers are taking part in our environmental land management schemes, with 32,000 Countryside Stewardship agreements successfully in place across England for 2023 - a 94% increase in since 2020 - and over 6,000 applications already received this year.
The new and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 – which has 23 actions on offer for farmers - is currently accepting expressions of interest, with farmers and will start accepting applications from 18 September.
Sarah Dines MP said:
“Supporting British farmers by encouraging people to buy British produce can only be a positive thing. We know that the quality of our farming produce is second to none and I would challenge anyone to find better produce than here in Derbyshire Dales. I continue to do all I can to support British farmers and growers and I am so pleased to see the government dedicated to supporting our farmers.’
