Public positivity towards British agriculture and trust in farming has hit a six year high, a new study shows.
The latest findings shows optimism rising across the farming sectors as consumer trust in British farmers remains strong.
AHDB’s recent consumer trust research has been tracking consumer trust and the understanding of agriculture since 2019.
New results from it now show the highest level of public positivity compared with the previous six years.
It shows that three-quarters of consumers feel very or somewhat positive towards British agriculture.
The previous positivity peak was 66% in 2020, due to a greater consumer focus on the food supply chain as a result of the pandemic.
As well as an increase in general positivity towards agriculture, the data also showed that consumer trust is improving.
Over three-quarters of UK adults agreed that farming was a 'trustworthy profession', a rise from 71% in 2023, up there with teachers at 69% and doctors at 78%.
Another boost seen from the findings is the positive direction that public interest in farming continues to head in, with it seeing steady rises over the last couple of years.
A total of 44% of consumers stated they have an interest or knowledge in farming, and this increase has coincided with an upsurge in consumers who feel they are informed about food origin and production.
Steve Evans, AHDB lead consumer insight manager, said the study showed there was an opportunity to build on the strong trust consumers hold for farmers.
He added: "Consumers are less concerned about the cost of living and have more favourable attitudes toward food purchases and increased positivity towards farming.
“As consumers start to feel more interested about farming, there remains an opportunity to further enhance the role of farmers in telling the story behind the products consumers see on shelves.”
Wider AHDB studies also indicate positive sentiment towards British food, with 74% agreeing that British farmers are doing a good job producing food, a growth of five percentage points since May.
There is also positive news for shopping habits, as 56% agree that they will proactively look for British food/produce over imported foods, increasing by 3% since May.
