Coverage of the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street

Coverage of the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street

Written by Defra Press Office

There has been widespread media coverage following a package of new measures to support farmers unveiled at the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street.

The news was reported by a number of national publications including the Times, Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, Mirror, and Guardian and the Prime Minister also conducted a positive interview on the key takeaways of the announcement on the BBC Farming Today programme.

Meanwhile, an op-ed from the Environment Secretary ran in the Express, that highlighted continuing government support for farmers in the aftermath of the extreme weather this winter.

The national coverage was straight and focussed on the need to reduce reliance on overseas fruit and vegetables, the introduction of the UK Food Security Index and up to £80m a year of funding for horticulture.

There was also coverage of the further £15m to boost access to more resilient crop varieties that require less farmer input, and the confirmation that the tenant farming commissioner in the autumn. The Telegraph led on the Prime Minister’s plan to cut red tape around the building of greenhouses.

In the trade press, there was coverage in Horticulture Week, Farmers Guardian, Farmers Weekly, edie and The Grocer. The trade coverage was balanced and included a positive quote from the President of the National Farmers Union Tom Bradshaw, who described many of the announcements as “extremely positive”.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Food security is vital to our national security, which is why today’s summit is so important, bringing together government and key representatives from the farming and food sector at Downing Street.

Today’s announcements will turbocharge the growth of our horticultural sector supporting the building of cutting-edge glasshouses and innovative farming techniques to put British fruit and vegetables on our plates all-year round.

We will continue to invest in and support farmers to produce the best of British food to strengthen our food security, championing innovation in the sector.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

This government will always back British farmers. Food production is the primary purpose of farming, and our farmers and food producers work hard to keep the nation fed, despite challenges including flooding.

Supporting our farmers and food producers is at the heart of our plans and we are committed to working with them. We are pressing on with our plan by investing in food security and resilient farming businesses, providing business advice and cutting unnecessary red tape.

It is an exciting time and we are investing in innovation, ensuring the sector has the labour it needs, further embedding fairness in the supply chain, and making sure the sector is attracting the best and brightest.

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