The boss of Devon veg box firm Riverford Organic is demanding supermarkets put an end to “farmwashing” and support local producers.
Guy Singh-Watson is leading a campaign – Farmers against Farmwashing – to stop “unethical” marketing tactics such as overuse of the Union Jack, which he says gives shoppers the impression products come from small British family farms.
In an open letter to the bosses of the Big Six (Tesco, Sainsbury’s Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons and Asda), farmers have called on supermarkets “to be honest” about where food comes from and how it is produced.
The letter has been signed by more than 100 people including television chef Rick Stein, musician and farmer Marcus Mumford, and Sarah Dyke, Lib Dem MP for Glastonbury and Somerton.
“Much of the food is increasingly sourced from industrial US-style, mega farms or from overseas,” Riverford said. “What’s more, these tactics mask a harsh reality – the decline of Britain’s family farms, in large thanks to unethical practices like these.”
According to research carried out by Riverford, 61% of farmers fear having to give up their farm in the next 18 months. Only 24% think that supermarket claims to support British farmers are credible and backed up by buying behaviour.
“[Farmwashing] is a retailer pretending that the food they are selling is everything that the British public want it to be but in fact it is almost the diametric opposite,” said Mr Singh-Watson. “We have British branding implying that everything in that aisle is grown in the UK… they are taking our story and not paying for it.”
The letter is also accompanied by a documentary series with episodes posted on stopfarmwashing.co.uk.
Farmer and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty said: “Britain’s small-scale farmers are facing extinction, pushed to the brink by the rise of US-style mega-farms. 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.”
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Supermarkets are always keen to promote British farming and follow the strict legislation on the labelling of food, including the use of flags. In fact, they pushed the Government to tighten these rules earlier this year.
“Retailers create new farm brands for some of their own-label goods in order to help consumers find the quality goods they are looking for.”