Devon team spearheads campaign to stop supermarket ‘farmwashing’

Devon organic veg box company, Riverford, led by founder and farmer Guy Singh-Watson, has teamed up with a group of British farmers, including conservationist and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, to launch a new fairness campaign called Farmers Against Farmwashing, aimed at exposing misleading supermarket “farm washing practices".

The campaign features a docuseries, which sheds light on the claim that major supermarkets use fake farm brands and the overuse of the Union Jack to give shoppers the impression that their products come from quaint British family farms.

However, campaigners say much of the food is increasingly sourced from industrial US-style, mega farms or from overseas, and is masking a harsh reality - the decline of Britain's family farms.

Riverford's research claims that 61 per cent of farmers are concerned they will have to give up their farms within the next 18 months, and despite claims from the UK’s ‘Big Six’ supermarkets of supporting British farmers to the tune of billions, only one in four farmers believe these claims are credible and backed up by supermarket buying behaviour.

Across four eye-opening episodes, Mr Singh-Watson, Mr Doherty and a team of British farmers say they uncover the truth behind some of the so-called British farm produce on supermarket shelves and reveal the real-life impact that farmwashing practices can have on farmers across the UK.

Riverford's research found that two thirds (67 per cent) of farmers feel under pressure from supermarkets and 67 per cent live in fear of being de-listed if they complain about supermarket buying behaviour.

The campaign is calling for transparency in supermarket sourcing and fair support for Britain’s farmers - before it’s too late. The launch of the campaign is supported by an open letter addressed to the chief executives of the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets, calling for an end to the practice of farmwashing and asking supermarkets to honour their promises of supporting British farmers with better buying practices, especially the smaller-scale family farms who are struggling to s u r v ive . The open letter has been signed by over 100 leading figures and counting, including Cat Smith MP, Mr Doherty, Rick Stein, William Chase, Ben Goldsmith, David Chadwick MP and Ben Lake MP, as well as industry bodies such as Sustain, the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and the Soil Association.

Conservationist, farmer and TV presenter Mr Doherty said: “Britain's small-scale farmers are facing extinction, pushed to the brink by the rise of US-style mega-farms. These enormous operations might make meat cheaper but the hidden costs are devastating compromises on animal welfare, environmental harm and the destruction of traditional farming livelihoods.

“We ’re seeing generations of family farms swallowed up, replaced by faceless corporations that are driven by profit rather than people or the planet. It’s time we take a stand and support real British farming before it’s too late.” The campaigners claim that ultimately, shoppers are being misled. They say that consumers believe they are supporting the British economy and traditional farming practices but in reality, these “deceptive marketing tactics” are making it harder for genuine small farmers to compete.

Shoppers agree with the campaigners, with 74 per cent saying they want transparency over where their food is sourced, and 67 per cent saying they felt “distrustful ” and “annoyed” when they learned that the word ‘farm’ can be used by supermarkets for produce without it being from a real farm. Riverford research found that two thirds of shoppers actively look for the Union Jack on products to support British farmers.

When shoppers were shown a photo of produce in a UK supermarket under a Union Jack flag, more than two thirds (68 per cent) expected more than half of it to come from a British farm when, in fact, none of it did.

Mr Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic, which has its headquarters at Buckfastleigh, said: “British farming is at a breaking point. The public cares deeply about where their food comes from, the supermarkets know this and they are using that trust to steal farmer stories and to hoodwink shoppers into thinking they are buying from those small-scale, traditional British farms.

“Yet the reality is that these farms are being pushed to the brink. Is this the future we want for our food system and our countryside? “Farmers are already struggling with weather extremes, labour shortages, and rising costs, and while supermarkets claim to support British farming, they fail to back it up with their buying practices.

“Supermarkets must stop exploiting farmers and start supporting them. If we want a future where our food system is resilient, our landscapes are preserved, and our farmers are treated fairly, we need more honesty and decency in the supply chain. “The British public has shown they care and would pay a little more if they knew it supported better farming. It’s time supermarkets and the government listened.”

Farmers Against Farmwashing is not only a call for supermarkets to stop farmwashing and offer farmers a fair deal, but it is also a rallying cry to shoppers to try to make more informed choices. Riverford is urging shoppers to dig deeper into the origins of their food and, where possible, support local and direct-from-farmer purchases.

The campaigners say that ultimately, change must be driven by the government and policy makers, and so they are urging people to write to their MPs. The letter is calling for tighter regulations of the supermarkets, to prevent unfair buying practices, which squeeze smaller farmers out of the market. To send the letter to your MP, visit www.stopfarmwashing.co.uk

For more information on the campaign, visit stopfarmwashing.co.uk