Tourists and locals driving on the major roads that lead into the Lake District may have noticed a very important message appearing on the silage bales in many farm fields.
Farmers in the South Lakes area have been putting huge one metre diameter stickers on their big bales which say: ‘British farmers proud to produce your food’ and displaying them in roadside fields along the M6, A6, A685, A684, B6254, A65, A6070, A591 and A590.
Farmers in the area have said they want to remind everyone how proud they are to produce food for the nation.
NFU President, Meurig Raymond, who will be at the Westmorland Show on Thursday (14 September), said: “If you see one of the NFU’s bale stickers at this year’s Westmorland County Show or when you’re travelling the roads of South Cumbria, show your support for the farmers who are proud to produce your food by taking a photo and sharing it via social media using #proudtoproduce in any post.”
One of those farmers is dairy farmer Richard Park from Low Sizergh Barn in Kendal who is a tenant of the National Trust.
“I’m proud of the food I produce here in South Lakes because it’s produced in a special setting which ultimately benefits our customers, the environment and the local economy,” said Mr Park.
“The milk I produce is completely unique to the area. It will taste different to milk produced further south in other counties with different methods and land types. We have a thriving raw milk vending machine and farm shop which increases in popularity year after year.
“We employ just over 50 local people on a full and part time basis. This is something my family is immensely proud of and it’s all thanks to farming.”
'Vital for the county'
NFU North West Regional Director David Hall said having "vibrant" and "successful" farming businesses in Cumbria is "vital" for the county.
“Of the 33,000 jobs agriculture provides in the North West of England, 12,000 of them are in Cumbria. That’s a lot of families earning a living from an industry which also produces world class food and an environment that recently gained World Heritage Site status,” Mr Hall explained.
Approximately 100 stickers have been issued so far by NFU’s Kendal group secretary Derek Lomax who wanted to do something special for his members before he retires at the end of this year.
Celebrity chef Phil Vickery, best known for working on ITV's This Morning program, will officially endorse the NFU’s North West #proudtoproduce campaign at the Westmorland Show.
