MP joins calls for 'Buy British' section on supermarket websites
MPs from the region have joined a call for supermarkets to incorporate a Buy British section on their websites.
Philip Dunne (South Shropshire), Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham), Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) and Simon Baynes (Clwyd South), have all signed an open letter from 110 cross-party MPs calling on supermarkets to highlight the very best of British produce.
The letter asks for creation of a tab on supermarkets’ websites which collates produce from British farmers. The MPs say the change would provide greater consumer choice, environmental benefits and support for farmers.
They say the change could be achieved ‘by the click of a mouse’, with many shops already labelling British products, changing the online labelling is simply bringing the produce to the fore in a 'one-stop online shop' for the public to identify homegrown produce better.
Mr Dunne said: “I am pleased to support this important initiative. British farmers work incredibly hard to produce food for our nation and the ‘Buy British’ section is an easy and accessible way for the public to support them."
Mr Kawczynski said: "We know the public wants to know more about where their food comes from and how it is produced. This simple change on a webpage helps to ensure home-grown food is easily identifiable, something I wholeheartedly support.’
Simon Baynes, whose Welsh constituency includes Chirk, said “Farmers work tirelessly, from dawn until dusk, to produce food for our nation and the ‘Buy British’ section is an easy and accessible way for the public to support them."
In a recent survey carried out by the National Farmers Union, 61 per cent of respondent farmers stated the supply chain and market volatility have negative impacts on their mental health, with 80 per cebt of dairy farmers in a second NFU survey citing cash flow and profitability as key factors which throw the future of their business into doubt.
Farmers face an expensive harvest as domestic weather records – the driest February in 30 years, hottest June ever recorded and a notably wet July – as well as high input costs for energy, fuel and fertiliser threaten positive yields and profits.
Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers Union, said “We have been asking retailers to commit to signposting British produce for a number of years, so it’s great to see MPs and their constituents getting behind the idea of a ‘Buy British tab’ online.
“We know from our own independent survey that 86 per cent of the public want to buy more British food, but it is often tricky to determine what products are produced in the UK and this simple change would help the shoppers do that.”
The open letter, coordinated by Dr Luke Evans MP, champions the work of Britain’s farmers in ensuring food security, supporting strong local economies and preserving and protecting the environment, while empowering the public to be able to make easy choices in how they shop for their food.
