Seventy per cent of voters in key Conservative target seats believe developing countries should not be penalised by restrictions on airfreighting fresh food to the UK.
Pro-aviation organisation FlyingMatters commissioned independent, private polling from CrosbyTextorPepper, across 1,054 voters in constituencies the Conservatives must win from Labour and the Liberal Democrats to be in with a chance of winning the next general election.
The polling, conducted from June 16-29, revealed that of the 70 per cent who agreed developing countries should not be penalised, 31 per cent strongly agreed. Only 24 per cent disagreed with the statement, and of those, only seven per cent strongly disagreed.
The majority of respondents - 63 per cent - also felt that having access to airfreighted fresh fruit and vegetables helped them keep healthy all year round, and of those, 33 per cent strongly agreed with the idea. Some 36 per cent disagreed, while of those, 15 per cent disagreed strongly.
Some 63 per cent of those polled also agreed that it is wrong to target flying as a major contributor to global warming when it is responsible for two per cent of all carbon emissions, while 32 per cent disagreed with that statement.
When asked about the impact of the rising cost of flying due to fuel price rises, 86 per cent of respondents agreed that this would mean higher prices for imported goods in the supermarkets.
But an overwhelming majority of 92 per cent of respondents also felt the government should not increase its level of taxation to deal with higher fuel prices, but should instead work with the aviation industry to develop and invest in fuel-efficient technology.
The Fresh Produce Consortium said: “Airfreight allows us to enjoy a wide variety of fruit and vegetables throughout the year. Around 60 per cent of fruit and vegetables are imported into the UK, providing us with produce outside of the UK season as well as varieties that simply cannot be grown in the UK.
“There is no evidence that fewer aircraft would fly if less imported fruit and vegetables were eaten, as at least 60 per cent of airfreighted fresh produce is brought to the UK in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft. Total airfreighted imports of fruit and vegetables account for 0.2 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.
“If everyone in the UK switched one 100W light bulb to a low energy bulb we could reduce CO2 emissions over a year by five times the amount that would result from not purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables from sub-Saharan Africa.”
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