Back British Farming Day: East Anglian growers join campaign

The annual industry campaign celebrates the efforts of farmers and growers to feed the nation and care for the countryside.

This year's event on September 13 also highlights the "overwhelming support" from the public for a job they ranked as one of the most important and well-respected professions in the country, second only to nursing - according to a survey by the National Farmers' Union (NFU).

A hamper of homegrown food to promote Back British Farming Day (Image: NFU)

And the same public survey showed that 87pc of respondents supported increased self-sufficiency for UK food.

At a Back British Farming Day breakfast reception at the House of Commons, MPs were urged to prioritise homegrown food production and legislate to ensure the UK’s self-sufficiency does not drop below its current level of 60pc.

Andrew Blenkiron, director of the Euston Estate near Thetford, is also Suffolk branch chairman for the NFU.

Andrew Blenkiron, director of the Euston Estate near Thetford (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “Back British Farming day is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase all that we do and for others to join with us in celebrating our incredible success, not only in our significant contribution to our nation’s economy, in our drive to a fully sustainable future but also with our many solutions to the climate change challenge.

“Now we need our politicians value what we do and back the production of home-grown food and our family businesses.”

Tim Papworth, chairman of the Norfolk branch of the NFU said he also wanted to "thank people for their continued support".

“We are extremely proud to grow and supply the very best, quality assured, affordable food to our discerning customers in conjunction with managing some of the most iconic British countryside in the county of Norfolk which gives a sustainable and environmental benefit to all concerned," he said.

National Farmers' Union president Minette Batters (Image: NFU)

That message was echoed by NFU president Minette Batters, who said: “Britain’s farmers and growers are truly inspirational, and it is heart-warming to know the public really value the work we do in producing fantastic homegrown food.

“We’ve had everything thrown at us over the past 18 months – soaring production costs, global market instability caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine, extreme bouts of weather and significant delays to farm payments.

“The empty shelves we’ve seen this year speak for themselves; we need to be producing more of our food here.

“Now is the time to ensure those policies are in place to support the production of quality, climate friendly, homegrown food. As we’ve said before, the government has statutory targets for the environment – why can’t food production have the same status?

“Fundamentally, investing in domestic food production means we can increase our productivity, create more jobs and deliver much more for the economy and for the environment.

“We know we have huge public support – we now just need our politicians to also back British farming like never before."

The government said it would "build on the commitment to keep producing 60pc of the food we consume here in the UK" while announcing a package of measures on Back British Farming Day.

Defra ministers have backed calls for industry-led action to signpost customers to ‘buy British’ when they shop online, and confirmed that farmers producing sustainable British food under new environmental land management schemes will be able to use them to help meet public procurement standards.

The government has also started a recruitment drive to appoint five extra "agri-food attaches" to unlock new trading and export markets.

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."