Food failure

The Government has told Whitehall to buy British standard products where it does not raise costs, and of all departments Defra should surely be standing up for this country’s producers.

Yet the embarrassing news, revealed first in the Yorkshire Post last month, that Defra bought less than a third of its food from the UK, showed the Government is failing to lead by example.

Farmers are facing a relentless battle against cheap imports and, while there are notable exceptions such as the progress on food labelling, they still face very tough trading conditions.

The celebrity chef boom has seen food – and, in particular, local produce – become very fashionable but it is still regarded as an expensive luxury for the middle classes.

This is a myth and in many cases locally sourced meat and groceries can compete favourably with equivalents sold in the supermarkets, which begs the question, why is the Government, and of all departments Defra, failing to support the rural economy?