Two national products have been highlighted at the House of Commons for their great importance to British life, beer and cheese.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) teamed up with the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group to highlight the importance of two great national products – British beer and cheese - to the UK economy.
To demonstrate the close links between farmers and brewers, the two organisations hosted a beer and cheese tasting event for MPs yesterday (16 January) at the House of Commons.
MPs sampled a range of beers made from British malting barley as well as some of the 700 cheeses that are produced in Britain.
Beer and pubs generate £13 billion in tax revenue every year, while the total value of cheese sold in the UK in 2016 was £2.75 billion with almost half the cheese eaten being British.
Mike Wood MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: “The UK produces over 700 cheeses – more than France - and 10,000 different beers. Both are traditional agricultural products that trace their histories back thousands of years.
“This tasting in the House of Commons showed not only the enormous diversity of both British cheese and British beer but how they are a match made in heaven - an Isle of Wight blue cheese with Suffolk ale; a West Midlands Brie with Scottish lager; or a London Porter with a smoked cheese from the North East - this was a mouth-watering eye opener.”
'Patriotic'
The event comes as Defra Secretary Michael Gove urged the British public to be "more patriotic" in their cheese buying habits.
He boasted that British dairy farmers boast some of the finest cheeses in the world.
NFU Vice President Guy Smith added: “Beer and cheese provide vitally important markets for British dairy and arable farmers both at home and abroad. Two million tonnes of British malting barley is grown every year – while around 25% to 30% of the milk produced by dairy farmers is processed into cheese.
“We want MPs to understand the significance of both supply chains to the UK economy and to support British farmers and brewers so they can remain competitive, sustainable and resilient. And of course one of the best ways to discuss this is over a pint of British beer.”
At the Oxford Farming Conference, Mr Gove said the government could introduce a "gold standard" food labelling system which highlights the credentials and quality of British produce in supermarkets.
