More than half of the British public see domestic food production as more important now than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, new research has shown.
The survey, commissioned by the NFU and carried out by Censuswide, found 51 per cent of adults feel it is more important for Britain to produce its own food than they did three months ago.
Of the 2,036 people questioned, 41 per cent said they had not changed their mind about the significance of domestic food production and 9 per cent felt it was less important.
Speaking to journalists this week (April 27), NFU president Minette Batters made clear she wanted the ‘legacy’ of the pandemic to be an increased number of consumers buying British food.
“I can see a tsunami of cheap, raw ingredients right across the world,” she said.
“You look at all the milk which will have been bought on the spot market, there is potential for that to be made into cheap processed cheese.
“We have got to be focusing on provenance and the reasons to buy British.”
Ms Batters went on to say she would push for Government support for farmers where there is clear market failure, but she did not want to sit with a ‘begging bowl’.
Self-help
“There is a lot of self-help this industry is up for doing, and we are really working together on that message of provenance and value,” she added.
Other findings from the research showed more than a quarter – 28 per cent – of the public view British farming in a more favourable light since the pandemic.
But 61 per cent of respondents said their view of UK farming remained unchanged, and 11 per cent were less favourable.