Labour MPs call for ‘level playing field’ for farmers

Rural Labour MPs have called for a “level playing field” and Australian-style origin labelling to help make British farms more profitable.

With British farmers facing a “perfect storm” of higher costs, more regulation and tougher competition from abroad, a group of Labour MPs is set to spend the spring campaigning for changes they say could net farms £500 million in profit.

The Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG) began its campaign on Monday with calls for an overhaul of food labelling and a commitment from the Government to protect welfare standards in trade deals.

Suffolk MP and group chairwoman Jenny Riddell-Carpenter said: “We have a once-in-a-generation moment to back British farming – by levelling the playing field as we strike new trade deals, and creating fairer, more transparent labelling so customers know what they’re eating, and where it really comes from.”

The 40-strong LRRG has called for “honest labelling”, criticising the current system that allows food to be described as “made in Britain” even if most of its ingredients have been imported.

Instead, they want to see a new labelling system based on one currently operating in Australia that gives food a score out of five to show how much actually comes from the UK.

The group also wants to see a similar labelling system for welfare to provide shoppers with a clearer idea of the conditions animals have been kept in.

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay in Cornwall, said: “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.”

Calling for a “level playing field”, the LRRG’s campaign will also press the Government to commit to ensuring British standards are applied to imported goods.

Domestically, the group wants to see the supermarket watchdog, the Groceries Code Adjudicator, given more powers to tackle “unfair supermarket practices” such as late payments or unprofitable pricing.

While the group says these moves could have a major impact on farm profitability, an LRRG source suggested the impact on the cost of living would be minimal.

James Naish, an LRRG member and MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, said: “Our farmers are central to producing high-quality, good value food – they’re the cornerstone of rural communities and economies, and if we can boost their profits, the rest of the community will benefit as well.”

The LRRG’s campaign comes as Labour looks to repair relations with farmers following a row over the decision to levy inheritance tax on family farms in the party’s first budget.

Plans for the tax were watered down in December last year following a vocal campaign by farmers and internal pressure from some of Labour’s rural MPs, many of whom were elected for the first time in 2024.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We’re backing our farmers to produce food for the nation, announcing £345 million in grants for new equipment just last month.

“We’re actively monitoring the Middle East situation so we can respond and support our food and farming sectors.

“We already have high food labelling standards and have stepped up action on supply chain fairness, including continued scrutiny of unfair practices, and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage.”