Government backs ‘Buy British Button’ after lobbying from Julian
September 13, 2023
On Back British Farming Day, September 13th 2023, the Government announced its support for a ‘Buy British’ section on supermarket’s online stores, following an open letter signed by Julian.
Julian joined calls for the ‘Buy British’ tab which would collate produce from across the UK when people are shopping for groceries.
An open letter from 119 cross-Party MPs states customers would have “greater power in their choices”, enabling them to support the nation’s farmers “quickly and easily” while buying homegrown produce and reducing environmental impact.
The open letter penned by Dr Luke Evans MP and signed by Julian is supported by the National Farmers Union (NFU), backed by farmers and endorsed by the Government.
The letter 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.
The Food and Farming Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has backed calls for industry-led action to signpost customers to ‘Buy British’ when they shop online and will support campaigns to endorse the taste and quality of home-grown meat and dairy products.
An NFU petition in support of the campaign has, by Back British Farming Day on 13th September, reached over 17,000 signatures in only six days.
Julian commented:
“Thousands of farmers and consumers across the nation have supported our call for a ‘Buy British’ section, now backed by the UK Government.
“This simple change on a webpage would help to ensure homegrown food is easy to find, supporting farmers and helping consumers cut down on food miles.
“Buying British is good for local food producers, good for the environment and good for consumer choice. It’s a win all round and I hope supermarkets take up this voluntarily initiative.
