Alliance welcomes Morrisons ‘Buy British’ initiative and calls for follow on

The Countryside Alliance has welcomed Morrisons’ recent decision to add a ‘buy British’ tab to its website, which will allow shoppers to identify British food more easily when doing their online food shop.

This new Buy British section includes a variety of foods from UK farmers and growers, including meat, eggs, dairy products, and seasonal fruit and vegetables.

The move follows an open letter to supermarkets spearheaded by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans. The letter, which was signed by 121 cross-party MPs, urged retailers to help consumers who want to support the nation’s farmers.

Responding to Dr Evans, Morrisons Chief Executive Rami Baitiéh said:

“We support the aims of your campaign and want to make it as easy as possible for customers to back Britain’s farmers and the high-quality foods they produce.

He added: “As a longstanding supporter of British farming, we are delighted to make this change to our website and hopes that it leads to more British products in consumers’ baskets.”

Sabina Roberts, External Affairs Officer at the Countryside Alliance, said:

“We are pleased to see Morrisons help champion British produce. British produce is internationally renowned for its quality and nutrition, and red meat produced in the UK is among the most sustainable in the world.”

Morrison’s decision comes at a crucial moment for British farmers. A narrative of meat and dairy farming being at fault for global climate emissions has pushed misinformed groups to ban meat and dairy products and mandate vegan diets – including councils and student unions around the UK.

The Countryside Alliance has been working around the clock to fight back against these challenges to livestock farming. We have taken a pro-farming motion around the country, urging councils to commit to sourcing local meat, dairy, and vegetable products at their events, and we have lobbied student unions to overturn their decisions and keep meat and dairy on the menu.

Now, the Countryside Alliance will be joining Dr Evans in sending a letter to the chief executives of every major supermarket in the UK, urging them to follow on. We will lobby Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose, and other supermarkets to also highlight British meat, dairy, and vegetable products in their online shops.

See the new Buy British website here: British: Morrisons Shop