Plans from rural Labour MPs to “level the playing field” for British farmers have been slammed as a “smokescreen” and “just talk” by those at the heart of the embattled sector.
Members of the Labour Rural Research Group, numbering some 40 backbenchers, have unveiled a “spring push for farming profitability” which they claim could generate £500million in profit.
The group of Labour MPs said that British agriculture faces a “perfect storm” combining elevated costs, increased regulatory burdens and intensifying foreign competition.
Their approach focuses on transparent country-of-origin labelling modelled on Australian standards, safeguarding domestic welfare requirements in international trade negotiations, and expanding the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Central to the campaign is a demand for “honest labelling” that would replace the current system, which permits products to carry “Made in Britain” claims even when they contain predominantly imported ingredients.
The group advocates adopting an Australian-style framework that assigns a score out of five to food based on its genuine UK content.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the Suffolk MP who chairs the LRRG, described the push as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to support British agriculture through fairer labelling so that “customers know what they’re eating, and where it really comes from”.
Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay and the campaign’s farm profitability lead, added: “Shoppers deserve to know how their food was raised and where it comes from, and if people want to buy British and higher produce, it should be so much easier for them to do so.”
Rural Labour MPs ‘level playing field’ plan for farmers has been blasted as a ‘smokescreen’ and ‘just talk’
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Mr Law argued that approximately £500million in farm profits is being lost to lower-welfare imports that undercut domestic producers.
However, veteran farmer Colin Rayner told GB News that the flagship policy proposal was a “smokescreen” that would not “help one farmer or consumer in this country”.
The Rayner Farms boss, whose family has been farming in Berkshire since 1551, said the labelling adjustments would make little difference amid the cost-of-living crisis battering Britain.
“No one has got any money at the moment,” he said, adding that consumers are shopping for “good value” above all.
Central to the campaign is a demand for ‘honest labelling’ on products claiming to be British made
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“It’s like being on the Titanic and being told your food is coming from renewable sources.”
Scoffing at the £500million profit prediction, Mr Rayner feared the labelling policy would end up costing the farming sector money.
He added: “We’ll need to throw away the old labels and make new ones… Then they’ll have to hire people to make sure the new ones are being used.”
“I’ve been farming for 50 years, and I’m fed up with politicians telling us how to farm,” he said, bemoaning the potential introduction of a “label police”.
Veteran farmer Colin Rayner said labelling adjustments would make little difference amid the cost-of-living crisis battering Britain
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COLIN RAYNER
However, Mr Rayner’s response was not echoed by Sarah Lee, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Countryside Alliance.
“The Countryside Alliance has long campaigned for clearer food labelling and a fairer marketplace for British farmers, so we strongly welcome this campaign from the Labour Rural Research Group,” she told The People’s Channel.
“For too long, confusing and misleading labelling has made it harder for consumers to support British produce, while farmers have been undercut by imports produced to lower standards.
“Measures to deliver honest labelling and ensure a level playing field are essential if we are serious about backing British farming, improving transparency and maintaining high welfare standards.
‘I’ve been farming for 50 years, and I’m fed up with politicians telling us how to farm’
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“This is a positive step towards giving farmers a fair return for the high-quality food they produce and helping shoppers make informed choices with confidence.”
Rural Labour MPs have also called for measures to address what the group terms an uneven playing field in international trade.
The LRRG points to existing agreements with Australia and New Zealand that permit imports produced using methods prohibited domestically and want legislation ensuring British standards apply to all goods sold here.
Domestically, the MPs want the Groceries Code Adjudicator transferred to Defra’s control with enhanced powers to address late payments, unprofitable pricing and cancelled orders.
The backbenchers also seek colour-coded welfare indicators showing how livestock were reared.