Farmers fear Labour is rolling back on its manifesto pledge to get the public sector to buy British. The Countryside Alliance warned farmers feel “let down” that the Government’s new food strategy does not set out how the public purse can be used to boost British agriculture.
Labour is accused by the Conservatives of turning its back on farmers when rural communities are reeling from inheritance tax changes and ‘need certainty and support’.
David Bean of the Countryside Alliance said: “Labour’s target for half of all food bought and served through the public sector to be local, British or produced to higher environmental standards was one of the most promising things in its manifesto last year. To publish a food strategy that ignores it completely is a missed opportunity and a real let-down for Britain’s farmers and food producers.
“Their products are the best in the world and both they and public service users deserve as much of it to be served as possible. When Labour made that pledge, it knew that it was the local aspect that attracted voters.
“Britons rightly value the provenance of local food; we have confidence in its quality and we want to support the people who work hard to produce it. That is where we need to see delivery.”
The National Farmers’ Union has also raised a series of concerns about the strategy, with president Tom Bradshaw warning “farm business confidence is at an all-time low”. He is worried there is a lack of understanding that farms must be profitable to succeed.
The Countryside Alliance argues “buying and serving more British food is a powerful lever at the Government’s disposal to support our food and farming sector. It claims a commitment to buying local can help tackle challenges including “obesity, dietary risks, environmental sustainability, resilience and food security”.
The campaign group says farmers deserve to have the “full weight of the public sector behind them” at a time when many farming families are worried about increased inheritance tax.
Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Labour’s pledge to make half of all food bought through the public sector local, British, or high-standard was one of their manifesto commitments but now they’re quietly shelving it. At a time when our farmers need certainty and support, Labour is turning their back on them.
“Labour talk a good game, but their actions tell a different story. They’ve failed to protect rural communities and are pushing ahead with a disastrous Family Farm Tax. It’s an outright attack on rural Britain, on the people who feed our nation and on the future of British farming.
“Only the Conservatives will stand up for rural Britain by protecting family farms, backing local produce and delivering real food security. Labour simply can’t be trusted to support our farmers.”
A spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Our commitment to farmers and food producers remains steadfast, which is why we want our farmers to be well placed to bid for a fair share of the £5billion pounds a year spent on public-sector catering contracts. “We have an ambition for 50% of public sector food in places like hospitals, army bases and prisons to be local or produced to high environmental standards and are open to considering all lawful means of achieving this ambition.
“Our cross-Government food strategy will make sure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, and protect the planet and nourish individuals, now and into the future.”