They agreed with the NFU that the government must have a plan for a secure and continuous supply of British food for the nation now and in the future.
Keeping the nation fed
British farmers have kept the nation fed throughout world wars, the financial crisis, and a global pandemic.
Yet recent events have shown vulnerability in our supply chains and have put pressure on food production.
The cost of energy, animal feed and tools to grow food today are at historic highs, putting more farms across the country at risk.
There are already 7,000 less farming businesses in the UK today compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have launched a campaign calling for fairness for British farmers and growers, galvanising public support behind the idea that our supermarket shelves should never be empty of any food that can be produced by farmers and growers in Britain.
We have an opportunity to send a clear message to the UK Government: the public care about the food they eat and the farms who produce that food.
Show your support by signing the Back British Farming campaign for food security.
Sign up to pledge your support
'The clock is ticking'
The show of support came after President Minette Batters told the NFU’s annual conference “the clock is ticking” and that “time is almost up for this government to start walking the talk”.
In August, Rishi Sunak committed to back British farming as he made his bid to become Prime Minister.
Following an emergency press conference called by the NFU in December the Conservative Leader once again reiterated his commitments for:
- a yearly stock take of British food
- an annual national food security summit
- a commitment to at least maintaining the levels of food produced in Britain as outlined in the 2022 Government Food Strategy
Social media posts by the NFU have bolstered the many appearances of its officeholders across the national media in print, online, television and radio.
Our calls for action have been seen nearly half a million times on social media in the last week and the NFU will continue to mobilise supporters until the government follows through on its commitments.
