Press release

Release date: 12th January 2010

 

LEAF Welcomes Food 2030

 

LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) welcomes the recommendations set out in the Government’s first major food strategy for sixty years.

 

‘Food 2030’ unveiled by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP at the Oxford Farming Conference, calls on farmers to produce more food while reducing their environmental impact.  It sets out a series of tasks for different parts of the food chain urging different sectors to work together to improve profitability, productivity and competitiveness.

 

“Food 2030 is an ambitious document” said LEAF Chief Executive, Caroline Drummond.  “It is good to see Government recognising the complexities of the food supply chain and calling for a joined up food policy. The strategy sets out a vision where consumers are able to make informed choices about the food they eat and be able to afford sustainably produced food, grown by farmers who are actively reducing their green house gas emissions, reducing waste and using less energy.”

 

“The real challenge is making it happen on the ground” continued Caroline Drummond.  “LEAF has a lot of relevant experience and management tools to help.  Our Integrated Farm Management approach and our range of practical technical tools like the LEAF Audit and the Green Box help farmers to monitor and reduce their environmental impact, whilst maintaining their profitability.”

 

LEAF members, carrying out the LEAF Audit on an annual basis can track the areas of their business where significant reductions in their green house gas emissions can be made.”

 

“Furthermore, raising awareness amongst consumers about sustainable food production is one of LEAF’s core objectives” explained Ms Drummond.  “Our nationwide network of Demonstration Farms and Open Farm Sunday help to get thousands of people out onto farms every year learning about food, farming and our countryside.”

 

“Food 2030 also calls for a more global approach to food production and forging partnerships around the world to meet the needs of a growing population.   The LEAF Marque operates in some thirty four countries across the world, helping both small scale farmers and large landowners to meet common sustainable farming standards.”

 

“The central message to farmers coming out of the report” concluded Caroline Drummond “is that they need to produce more and impact less on precious natural resources on which food production depends.  LEAF has the tools and expertise to help farmers meet this challenge head on and we look forward to working with Defra, our industry partners and our members to make it all happen.” 

 

Notes to Editors:

 

1.         LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)  is a charitable organisation, set up in 1991 to help growers improve their business performance while forging a better understanding of farming among the general public. This is done through a network of Demonstration Farms and Innovation Centres and Open Farm Sunday where members of the public can see farming best practice in action.

 

2.         The LEAF Marque is applicable to all sectors of agriculture.  LEAF Marque is working with other assurance schemes both here in the UK and overseas, to offer an environmental ‘add on’ for farmers wanting to demonstrate their environmental credentials. 

3.         LEAF’s resources and activities include:

·   Demonstration Farms and Innovation Centres - A nationwide network of Demonstration Farms which host visits for a broad range of groups – from the Women’s Institute through to Government Officials

·   Speak Out – a "self-help" CD ROM, audio cassette and work booklet to help farmers with communications skills and know how to bridge the gap between farming and the public

·   Open Farm Sunday  - the farming industry’s annual open day.  It is a great opportunity for the public to get a behind-the-scenes look at life on a farm and the nature it sustains.  It takes place this year on the 13th June 2010.

·   Virtual Farm Walk – an interactive CD Rom giving a tour of a real working farm, showing how farmers are growing food with environmental care.

·   The LEAF Green Box – a monitoring tool kit to help farmers capture and monitor environmental observations on their farms and track any year on year changes.

4.         More information on LEAF is available from LEAF, The National   Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire CV8 2LG

            Tel: 024 7641 3911 Fax: 024 7641 3636  email: enquiries@leafuk.org  www.leafuk.org

 

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