The NFU has said it is delighted at a pledge from Sainsbury’s to double its sourcing of British food by 2020.
The commitment came as part of the retailer’s new Sustainability Plan, launched on Tuesday, which also includes a target to ensure all meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy products are sourced from suppliers who adhere to independent higher welfare standards.
NFU Director of Corporate Affairs Tom Hind said: “The commitment to double the sourcing of British food should be commended; it is a bold and positive step for food and farming.
“It recognises the high quality and standards of production and environmental protection that British farmers already meet every day; those same standards that consumers increasingly expect in the food they buy.
“This will send a really positive signal to our British farmers and growers at a time when they are facing massive investment pressures and rising energy, fuel and feed costs.
“We will be looking to Sainsbury's to work with us on the detail of the plan to ensure that the commitments have integrity and deliver sustainability for UK agriculture. We want to ensure that commitments to driving efficiency, for example, also mean working with farmers to offer longer-term relationships with predictable and profitable prices. These should then help with challenges such as terms of investments.”
The supermarket’s ‘20 by 20 Sustainability Plan’ sets 20 targets to hit by 2020. Among them are an aspiration to reduce operational carbon emissions by 30% absolute and 65% relative, compared with 2005. And the chain also hopes to create 50,000 UK jobs and see 20,000 of its employees achieve 20 years of service.
The NFU will be meeting with Sainsbury’s to discuss the implementation and timing of the plan.
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