NFU calls on MPs to show their support this Back British Farming Day
2nd November 2022
With the many issues farmers are currently facing, the NFU has asked MPs attending this year’s Back British Farming Day celebration to wear their wheatsheaf pin badge and show their support for British farming.
Back British Farming Day is held on 2nd November every year and is a national celebration of the vital role farming plays as the backbone of the rural economy and its communities.
“British food and farming is currently worth more than £120 billion to the nation’s economy, and we are an industry that wants to drive growth both in home markets and overseas,” said NFU president Minette Batters.
“I firmly believe that with the right policies in place we can work with government to provide solutions to many of the issues we’re facing, from the cost-of-living crisis, energy and food security, to tackling climate change and encouraging vital STEM learning in schools.”
Starting in Westminster, the 2022 Back British Farming Day celebration will turn the spotlight on the winners of the NFU’s new Community Farming Heroes award, who have been nominated by their respective MPs.
The award is intended for farmers and growers who have gone the extra mile to help their local community and beyond. Some have donated supplies to Ukraine, others provided shelter and support for vulnerable women and children, organised and hosted educational events, or raised thousands of pounds for charities.
Ms Batters commented: “I am immensely proud of the farmers we have had nominated for our Community Farming Heroes award; people who go above and beyond every single day.
“As producers of the nation’s food – with world leading standards of animal welfare, as custodians of our working environment, and as an employer of 301,000 people – British farmers across the country will be celebrating Back British Farming Day.”
In addition, MPs and celebrities attending the event have been asked to show their support by wearing their wheatsheaf pin badge, which is now an emblem of the day. The badge represents the celebratory spirit of Back British Farming Day and has been made of wheat sourced from farms in Shropshire and wool from Devon’s Blue Face Leicester sheep.
Ms Batters added: “This year’s event comes at an extremely important time for British farming, and for the country. As the nation faces continued economic challenges, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s immediate priority will be to establish economic stability for the whole country.
“This includes for our farmers and growers who, like many households, continue to face significant challenges, including rising energy costs.
“We are ambitious to deliver for the nation on all fronts, but that ambition must be matched by government and backed up by policy. For the country, and its farmers, honesty and certainty about the future will be absolutely vital.
“A government that backs British farming will be backing the development and growth in all of these key areas, so we ask all MPs to wear their wheatsheaf pin badge with pride to show their support for Back British Farming Day.”
