Opinion: Cambridgeshire farming leader welcomes huge public support on Back British Farming Day

The NFU’s latest Farmer Favourability Survey results were released on Back British Farming Day on Wednesday and revealed the public has voted farmers as the second most respected profession in the UK for the third year running1.

The survey demonstrates the public really values farmers for producing high-quality food, caring for animals and protecting the countryside – often in the face of extreme weather and economic pressures. Ranking farmers and growers second only to our fantastic nurses, the survey also found:

• 92% people feel it’s important Britain has a productive farming sector.
• 89% say British farms should grow as much food as possible to support national food security.
• More than three-quarters of respondents trust British food more than food from the rest of the world.

With new Ministers in Defra, there is an opportunity to make farming’s case strongly to a new top team.

As the NFU took Back British Farming Day once again to Westminster, it is calling on government to recognise and reflect on this continued public support with policies that truly value domestic food production and farming’s environmental delivery.

NFU Cambridgeshire Chair Alison Morris, who farms near March, said: “Back British Farming Day is a great opportunity to highlight British farming and all that we do.

“We not only produce high quality and nutritious food but also protect and enhance the environment.

“Cambridgeshire produces a high proportion of this country’s food and so it’s great that the public supports us, we just need politicians to truly value home grown food production and deliver policies that will help to secure a positive future for British farming.”

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “British farming is the bedrock of the country’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – worth over £150 billion to the economy and supporting more than four million jobs. Just as we rightly celebrate the strength of our food and drink sector, we must also recognise and invest in the people who make it possible: our farmers and growers.

“Back British Farming Day is about recognising the value of our farmers – not just for the food they produce, but for the role they play in our communities, our economy and our environment. And clearly, the public is behind us.”