Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has signed an open letter from over 100 MPs calling on supermarkets to highlight the very best of British produce by incorporating a ‘Buy British’ section online.
The letter, written by Dr Luke Evans MP and supported by 110 cross-Party MPs, states ‘Our ask is simple, create a tab that collates produce from farmers,’ citing consumer choice, environmental benefits and support for farmers as reasons to make the change.
The ‘Buy British’ tab would collate produce from across the UK so customers have greater power in their choices enabling them to support the nation’s farmers quickly and easily.
The MPs say the change could be achieved ‘by the click of a mouse’, with many shops already labelling British products.
Bob Seely MP has said:
“I supported this important initiative because farmers work tirelessly, from dawn until dusk, to produce food for us to eat, so, in return, we need to support them, and one way we can do this is to make sure consumers have the option to buy British produce online as well as in shops.
“Supporting our local farmers and food producers is important for ensuring food security, supporting strong local economies and preserving and protecting the environment, while empowering the public to be able to make easy choices in how they shop for their food.
“We know people want to know more about where their food comes from and how it is produced. Here on the Island, we also want to support our Island farmers and food producers. This simple change on a webpage would help to ensure homegrown food is easily identifiable, something I wholeheartedly support.”
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Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, says:
“The ‘Buy British’ section is a small and clear change which shows support for our farmers while allowing consumers to make an easy, informed choice.
“Farmers say the best way to support them is simple: buy British produce. Supermarkets are keen to support our food producers and we know the public want to play their part, but this easy signposting doesn’t currently exist for millions of people who do their food shop online.
“Buying British is good for local food producers, good for the environment and good for consumer choice. It’s a win all round.”
if it’s beneficial to the CONservative ethos of transferring as much wealth as possible from the poor to the rich then I’m sure Half Sausage Seely will be 100% behind it.
I wonder if he checked if the half sausage, he claims to have eaten at the illegal lock-down BBQ he attended, was made from British Pork ?
I might be being dim, but if MPs want to change something, shouldn’t they be writing laws not letters?
There should be a label advertising where all food comes from so the consumer knows how far it has travelled. It’s the consumer who is important.
Thre’s supposed to be, but it’s not properly implemented. For example “Red Tractor” implies British origin but actually means “last re-packaged in UK”.
If consumers read the labels they’ll find out where it comes from in most cases – but that won’t stop us buying those food miles.
This didn’t seem important when we part of the European Union. Never heard the Tories say buy Europe instead of rest of the world.
Sorry, Bob.
Your party are responsible for the cost of living crisis, so I’m going to buy cheapest.
Oh Please. Government policy has driven many farmers out of the market and the slow reaction to the change in subsides since leaving the EU is driving more out. Better and heavily subsidised food floods into the country from elsewhere. This is just desperation from MPs fearing for their jobs at the next election. Set a level playing field for British farmers and they might be in with a chance of survival.
Having once lived on the isle of Wight decades ago, now living in Australia, on reading the local MP’s drive to buy British, I could not escape the irony of how Seely’s own Government excitedly endorsed the UK/Australia FTA. Regarding beef (only), under the new trading agreement, the initial quota begins at 35,000 tonnes of Australian beef that can enter the UK tariff-free and will rise in equal instalments to 110,000 tonnes over 10 years (1o years ago 740 tonnes). Being in the EU tariff protection offered British farmers simply because here in Australia, the way livestock is produced is massive in economical scale. British farmers export to Australia, yes, a niche market, likely to be expensive.
What a load of old tosh. Meat packaging already states the source of origin.
Jimmy it’s just another photo op for Bobby .. you can only buy British if you are on his salary .. and have the same expenses reimbursed.
With the state of the economy I buy whatever is the best value for money.
Why is all the produce in supermarkets from abroad then?
So why are they importing NZ lamb then.? Actions definitely speak louder than tory lies.
It is called ‘swings and roundabouts’. New Zealand signed a FTA in 2022 enabling all manner of exchanges in terms of trade between the two countries without tariffs. At the ‘coal-face’, much depends on what industry you are in; benefits for some, others not. I can recall decades ago mum telling me to go to the butcher’s shop to buy a, leg of lamb, it was from New Zealand. The good old days have returned! Now, there just needs to be SPC and Ardmona, Australian canned fruit on the shelves to complete the nostalgia. (PS. I Ieft the IOW decades ago and from time to time return. Let me know if the latter fruit comment is true?).
So they stopped UK farmers from easily hiring on EU labour market*, subsidies are smaller than what we had in EU**, selling to EU customers is much more expensive due to bureaucracy, but don’t worry, here’s a filter on a website?
Genius!
*German and Dutch farmers especially really loved that move – less competition from UK in EU means more power to them hence smaller labour cost on all employees from EE within FoM, and cheaper produce. The only loser is UK. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/world/europe/brexit-eu-farmers-labor.html
** https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/12/farmers-post-brexit-payments
** https://www.ft.com/content/75382185-265c-4e6d-874e-b068a9c9e6df
How quickly they (choose to) forget! Do they remember the vote we had where we decided to ‘Take Back Control’ and become ‘World Leaders’ in everything we did!
How is that working out for, say, farmers who now find any previously purchased fertilizer from EU now costs more, due to tariffs and duty imposed by us!
It doesn’t matter how much that CONservative MP wants us to buy British, if produce is cheaper from other countries, where does he think people will spend their money?
Cost of living crisis is due to ineptitude by his own Government, not due to COVID, or the war in Ukraine – despite the mantra they spout that it is!
Nice pic. Even the cows don’t think he’s worth listening to!
looks like one of them has given up the will to live,.. just being near him….
(oh god,. a CONservative,.. quick,.. look dead)
Sells the countries vital infrastructure to the highest bidders then asks us to by British. I would like to buy British water, electric, gas, drive on roads built by the British and ride on British owned trains. But I can not, the Tories sold the lot to foreign countries. If they could they would sell the King. Mind you, he’s an immigrant’s son.
For example…
Southern water, owned by greensands holdings limited, owned by….
JP Morgan Asset Management (39.8%)
UBS Asset Management (21.9%)
Hermes Infrastructure Funds (21.0%)