A new campaign aims to expose misleading 'farmwashing' practices adopted by retailers, who are 'exploiting' the public and farmers with the use of fake farm brands.
The campaign seeks to shed light on the practice, which also includes the overuse of the Union Jack to give shoppers the impression that their food come from British family farms.
However, campaigners warn that many of the products are increasingly being sourced from US mega farms and is masking the decline of Britain’s family farms.
The campaign has been launched today (26 September) by organic veg box company Riverford, led by founder and farmer Guy Singh-Watson.
The farm's research shows that 61% of farmers are concerned they will have to give up their farms within the next 18 months.
Despite claims from the UK’s ‘Big Six’ supermarkets of supporting British farmers to the tune of billions, only 1 in 4 (25%) farmers believe these claims are credible and backed up by supermarket buying behaviour.
Across four episodes as part of the campaign, Mr Singh-Watson, along with a team of farmers, uncover the truth behind some of the 'British farm' produce on supermarket shelves.
The campaign is calling for transparency in supermarket sourcing and fair support for Britain’s farmers 'before it’s too late'.
The launch of the campaign is supported by an open letter addressed to the CEOs of the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets, calling for an end to the practice of farmwashing.
The letter asks for retailers to honour their promises of supporting British farmers with better buying practices, especially the smaller-scale family farms who are 'struggling to survive'.
The open letter has been signed by over 100 leading figures and counting, including Cat Smith MP, Jimmy Doherty, Rick Stein, William Chase and Ben Goldsmith.
Farmer and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, warned that Britain’s small-scale farmers were 'facing extinction' due to the rise of US-style mega-farms.
He said: "These enormous operations might make meat cheaper, but the hidden costs are devastating compromises on animal welfare, environmental harm, and the destruction of traditional farming livelihoods.
“We’re seeing generations of family farms swallowed up, replaced by faceless corporations that are driven by profit rather than people or the planet.
"It’s time we take a stand and support real British farming before it’s too late."
Riverford's research found that two thirds (60%) of shoppers actively look for the Union Jack on products to support British farmers.
When shoppers were shown a photo of produce in a UK supermarket under a Union Jack flag, more than two thirds (68%) expected more than half of it to come from a British farm, in fact, none of it did.
Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford, warned that British farming was at a 'breaking point', and that the public were being 'hoodwinked'.
"The public cares deeply about where their food comes from, the supermarkets know this," he said.
"They are using that trust to steal farmer stories and to hoodwink shoppers into thinking they are buying from those small-scale, traditional British farms.
"Yet the reality is that these farms are being pushed to the brink. Is this the future we want for our food system and our countryside?"
To support the campaign, farmers and public can use the hashtag #FarmersAgainstFarmwashing on social media.
