Sir Don Curry took the opportunity at the English Farming and Food Partnership (EFFP) conference in London recently to congratulate the industry on the Year of Food and Farming’s success so far. The food and farming initiative launched in September this year with the aim of reconnecting the farming community with consumers and, in particular, children.
“It is a positive story to tell, but this success must continue,” said Sir Curry at EFFP’s fourth annual conference. Curry continued to praise the various independent bodies that have been set up since the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy identified a need for the reconnection of farming and consumers, and told delegates he was delighted with the progress the EFFP has made. However, he maintained that the industry had to build a positive image of farming and make the countryside an attractive place to visit. “We need to be aware of the visual image of the countryside that we are responsible for,” he said. “We cannot assume that spending chunks of money on farms will hide these problems. Consumers will not be fooled.”
Sir Curry ensured the audience that the Year of Food and Farming had a “brilliant platform” to work on. “Half of the public already believe that British food is safer and tastes better,” he said. “The Year of Food and Farming is a fantastic opportunity to drive that forward. People need to have a better understanding of how food is produced and a better understanding of the environment; what people put into their shopping basket has serious consequences for farmers.”
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