The NFU has parked tractors outside Westminster and sent British-made lapel pins to MPs as part of today's Back British Farming Day (14 September).
A giant flag made from British produce, including tomatoes from Chris Wall and berries from Harry Hall, is the colourful emblem for the campaign, which has been launched to coincide with the second Prime Minister’s Question Time of the autumn calendar.
Made by hand with British wheat and wool, the lapel pins have been sent directly to 649 MPs to wear throughout today and PMQs. The union has also released a video featuring various farmers and growers thanking the public for their support, which is being promoted across social media and on some Sky channels.
NFU deputy president Minette Batters said the British public is proud of farming, with 77 per cent agreeing that it’s important to support the sector. “Back British Farming Day, coinciding with the second PMQs of the autumn parliamentary calendar, is the opportunity for MPs to publicly show their support for the nation’s ability to grow its own food and the farmers and rural communities that enable this to happen,” she said.
The campaign comes amid post-Brexit debates on how much funding farming will be given, in replacement for EU CAP funding. The UK’s food self-sufficiency is now 61 per cent, down from 75 per cent in 1991, according to the NFU.
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