Closer links with consumers will come c/o British Farming

The cross-industry national drive to boost the public's understanding of agriculture and horticulture took a bow at the Tesco supermarket in Tadcaster Road in York on Monday.

Farmers from across the region manned the NFU's food and farming roadshow to promote the initiative and answer questions from shoppers.

They also unveiled a range of publicity material to start the campaign, featuring the slogan "c/o British Farming" which will spring up all over the countryside in the coming months.

Surprising new research showing just how disconnected urban Britain has become from food production and the countryside was also revealed.

The campaign, the creation of 12 leading agricultural organisations, aims to highlight the positive contribution farmers, growers and the wider industry make to society.

Speaking on behalf of project partners, NFU regional director Richard Ellison said: "The 'c/o British Farming' promotion aims to reconnect town and country and to increase mutual understanding of food producers and consumers.

"The campaign will promote the massive contribution of farmers and growers to society in putting food on our tables and looking after the region's renowned landscape."

Mr Ellison said basic facts on food production and the countryside were no longer handed down from generation to generation. "Our countryside is the birthright of the whole nation," he said. "This campaign is about helping people reconnect with their rural roots and develop a greater appreciation of things which were once instinctive to us."

The survey shows that urban Britain has never been more disconnected from its rural roots than in 2003.

Key findings include:

* two-thirds of people do not know sugar is grown in the UK, more than a third do not realise cherries are grown here, and almost one in ten does not know we grow onions and tomatoes;

* fewer than one person in ten knows British farmers grow most of the food eaten in the UK;

* more than half do not realise margarine is made from vegetable oil;

* nine out of ten have no family connection with farming.

Rosie Dunn, a farmer at Stockton-on-Forest who was helping at the launch, said: "It is great that we are getting some positive publicity. We have a story to tell, which is that farmers do care about the countryside and that we are connected with food production while looking after the countryside.

"We produce two-thirds of the UK's food, but many people do not make that connection. We want to highlight what level of food production we have in this country and we are very much aware of our role in caring for the countryside as well."

Stoker Frater, a livestock farmer from Alnwick, wants to see the public buying more British food.

"Many people are still not aware where their food comes from and we want to get the message across that much of it comes from home ground," he said. "We are getting more food imported and, if we can't sell enough of our produce, the infrastructure disappears and we have to import even more. It is a vicious circle I want to break.

"The countryside is what farmers have made it and we enjoy living there."

He hit out at critics of the subsidy system, saying: "If we got a decent price for our produce, we would not want any subsidies."

Boards spotlighting facts about the industry were on display at the launch. For example: more than 75pc of UK land is cared for by farmers; agriculture contributes more than £7bn to the national economy and employs about 550,000 people; the countryside tourism industry is worth £12bn, and British farmers ensure the UK is nearly 65pc self-sufficient.

Mr Ellison said: "Surveys reveal that many people do not know a lot about the countryside and that is our fault, not theirs, for not telling them.

"The object here is to try to improve public understanding of how and why we do things with a view to influencing the Government about farmers' contribution to food and countryside.

"We have assumed in the past that just producing food is enough. People are now asking more questions. They want to know their food is safe and where it comes from."

This week's launch follows other farming campaigns such as the Little Red Tractor promotion, and roadshows will tour the North-East throughout the summer.

Timothy Kirkhope, Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and Humber, is backing the campaign.

"We are working hard in Europe to try to get people to understand what the whole farming and rural issue is all about," he said. "There tends to be a narrow approach linked to agricultural grants.

"This is a massive industry and many people are ignorant about many aspects of it, although that is not their fault. We have to do more to tell people what diversity there already is and which products come from the industry itself."

Mr Kirkhope said MEPs were worried about public perception of the industry and praised store chain Tesco for taking part. "I am glad to see such a positive attitude, as we in the European Community are concerned that people tend to separate retailing and production of food. We want to narrow that gap," he said.

"There is a lot of good quality British food. In other countries they take a close look at their food production and I fear we don't do enough of that here."

Other partners in the campaign include the Tenant Farmers' Association, Women's Food and Farming Union, Country Land and Business Association, Associated British Foods and the Agricultural Engineers' Association.