Farmers in Rutland says their livelihoods are at risk because of unfair tactics by some supermarkets
They're concerned about so called "farm washing" where shops indicate produce is sourced locally when actually it's not
Farmers in Rutland have been telling us some of them are on the brink of collapse with unfair tactics by certain supermarkets a key reason.
British farmers have come together to call for the end of so-called ‘farm washing’ tactics being used by supermarkets, leaving family owned British farms on the brink of collapse.
It sees some supermarkets use fake farm brands and the overuse of the Union Jack to give shoppers the impression that their products come from quaint British family farms.
They could be importing it from all over the world and then slapping a label on it saying produced in the UK
However, much of the food is increasingly sourced from industrial US-style, mega farms or from overseas.
It has been said to be factor contributing to the decline of Britain's family farms.
Now, with 61% of British farmers likely to give up their farm in the next 18 months, more than 90 signatories have come together to write an open letter to the CEOs of the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets.
The letter is calling for an end to the practice and asking supermarkets to honour their promises of supporting British farmers with better buying practices.
Research by Riverford shows two thirds of British farmers feel under pressure from supermarkets and live in fear of being delisted if they complain about supermarket buying behaviour.
Shop locally, look at the label, make sure it's been produced as close to the place you're buying it from as it can be
The campaign believes it’s not only farmers being misled, but shoppers too.
67% of shoppers say they felt “distrustful” and “annoyed” when they learned that the word ‘farm’ can be used by supermarkets without it being from a real farm.
Rutland farmer Andrew Brown said:
"What processes has that food gone through to get it onto the supermarket shelf to make it last as long as it does, and to make it as cheap as it is."
"They could be importing it from all over the world and then slapping a label on it saying produced in the UK or packaged in the UK. When in fact it's from lots of different places."
"It may have been sourced from anywhere where their environmental standards are much lower than ours."
"Shop locally, look at the label, make sure it's been produced as close to the place you're buying it from as it can be and make sure it's got the red tractor mark on it."
"Here, it's raised to certain environmental and welfare standards that a lot of imported food will not be."