Rural Labour MPs Launch Farming Profitability Campaign

Farmers Sound Alarm: New Campaign Could Change What You Buy

Rural Labour MPs have launched a new campaign aimed at boosting the profitability of British farmers, with a focus on clearer food labelling and fairer trading conditions.

Announced on Monday 30th March 2026, the Labour Rural Research Group’s Spring Push for Farming Profitability Campaign is being led by Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, who serves as the group’s Officer and Farming Profitability Lead.

Two Key Priorities

The campaign is built around two main areas, described as “Honest Labelling” and “Level the Playing Field”.

Honest Labelling focuses on improving how food is labelled for consumers. The group says many shoppers want to buy British produce and higher welfare food but are currently faced with confusing and sometimes misleading labels.

Plans include introducing two new mandatory labels. The first would clearly show where food is grown, produced, or made, along with the percentage of British ingredients, based on a system used in Australia. The second would be a colour-coded welfare rating from 1 to 5, designed to show how animals were reared and treated.

The group says these changes would also help the Government meet its commitment for 50% of publicly procured food to come from British or high-standard suppliers.

Calls for Fairer Competition

The second part of the campaign looks at ensuring British farmers receive a fair deal both at home and internationally.

The Labour Rural Research Group points to post-Brexit trade deals, stating that agreements made by previous Conservative governments led to increased imports of lower welfare food. The group estimates that levelling the playing field could bring as much as half a billion pounds of profit back to British farming.

To address this, they are calling for imported food to meet the same standards required of UK producers.

Domestically, the campaign highlights concerns about supermarket practices. With supermarkets buying over 90% of produce, farmers are often at a disadvantage. The group is calling for the Groceries Code Adjudicator to be strengthened and brought under the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs to help tackle issues such as late payments, unprofitable pricing, and cancelled orders.

There is also a request for a review into regulations, aiming to remove duplication and unnecessary rules without lowering welfare standards.

What Those Involved Are Saying

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal and Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group, 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 their eating, and where it really comes from.

This campaign builds on the ambition of Baroness Batters’ Review on Farming Profitability, and is urging industry, government and partners to help farmers seize this moment.”

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said:

“It’s fundamentally unfair that our farmers are held to standards that don’t apply to imported food. Farmers deserve a fair deal when Britian negotiates internationally, and when they negotiate domestically with supermarkets.

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.

If we Level the Playing Field and bring in Honest Labelling, farmers win, animals win, and shoppers win.”

Industry Reaction

Gavin Lane, President of the Country Land and Business Association, said:

“Profitability across the farming sector is perilously slim, with farmers battling high input costs and volatile weather conditions.

In such a challenging environment, it becomes even more important that farmers can compete on fair terms.

Transparent labelling and a level playing field in trade help ensure that the high standards many British producers work to are properly recognised.”

Anthony Field, Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, added:

“Clear and mandatory method of production labelling is an essential part of achieving a food system that is honest, fair, and fit for the future.

An overwhelming 99% of respondents to the Government’s ‘Fairer Food Labelling’ consultation supported mandatory labelling. Consumers clearly want to back higher welfare British farmers, yet without policy changes to help them do so, they are often unable to make purchasing decisions that reflect their values.

Many British farmers are already doing the right thing for their animals. We welcome the call for Government to support those higher welfare farmers through the introduction of core standards to prevent lower welfare imports, and Honest Labelling. This would ensure farmers are not undermined, that their efforts are recognised and would give consumers the transparency they are asking for.”

David Walsh, Head of Public Affairs at WWF, said:

“Core environmental and animal welfare standards can support a just transition to nature friendly farming in the UK and overseas: restoring nature, tackling climate breakdown, building an economically sustainable future for UK farm businesses, and ensuring resilient and secure food supplies for the long-term.

Setting clear, fair standards for all food sold in the UK would help level the playing field for British farmers and drive positive change across global supply chains. At the moment, the UK applies no environmental requirements to imported food – it is high time the Government took action to correct this.”

Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said:

“The Countryside Alliance has long campaigned for clearer food labelling and a fairer marketplace for British farmers, so we strongly welcome this campaign from the Labour Rural Research Group.

For too long, confusing and misleading labelling has made it harder for consumers to support British produce, while farmers have been undercut by imports produced to lower standards. Measures to deliver honest labelling and ensure a level playing field are essential if we are serious about backing British farming, improving transparency and maintaining high welfare standards.

This is a positive step towards giving farmers a fair return for the high-quality food they produce and helping shoppers make informed choices with confidence.”