Today FFCC has joined with civil society organisations, farming groups and food businesses to unveil the Hope Farm Statement, a watershed moment urging the next government to prioritise an ambitious food and farming strategy within its first 100 days. Ahead of next week’s Farm to Fork summit, the group is calling on politicians to introduce new legally binding food system targets and a joined-up suite of policies to improve the public’s health, boost farm resilience, and protect nature and the environment.

The statement was crafted after a year of collaborative meetings convened by Paul Polman, former CEO Unilever. Signatories comprise CEOs of food businesses, farmer organisations, civil society, and membership groups.

Calls for change are not new, but governments have failed to grasp the nettle – and the opportunity – of tackling growing problems in the food system. In the last year, FFCC with our partners, have been taking on the excuses for inaction. The Food Conversation asks citizens what they really want from food in workshops around the UK. They reveal that citizens want and expect clear and ambitious action from governments and businesses for greener, healthier, fairer food and farming.

In a landmark statement, businesses, farming groups, citizens and civil society organisations are aligned around improving public health, boosting farm resilience and protecting nature and the environment.

Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission:

“This could be a watershed moment: leaders coming together recognising the serious work that needs to be done for the nation’s health, for climate, for nature and to secure a resilient and prosperous future for the country. Citizens, businesses, farmers, and civil society are all signalling our willingness to act - but we also need the rules of the game to change. Governments must play their part by creating an aligned and coherent policy framework. The calls to action in this statement represent a willingness to tackle - at last - those tricky issues that so far have been kicked down the road. We know that citizens and farmers are clamouring for action. And frankly the cost of inaction is simply unaffordable.”

Find out more about the Hope Farm Statement - or join the conversation online via #HopeFarmStatement

If your organisation would like more information about the Hope Farm group, including signing this statement, please contact ffcc@bbpartners.co.uk