British farmers could get £1bn boost from public food pledge

British farmers could receive a £1 billion-a-year boost if schools, hospitals and other public bodies sourced half their food from local and sustainable producers, new CPRE research suggests.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is urging Labour to deliver its manifesto pledge for 50% of public sector food to come from local and sustainable suppliers.

CPRE said redirecting contracts towards local producers would create stable demand for British farmers, support smaller and medium-sized businesses and keep more public money circulating in local economies.

The call follows comments from Andy Burnham, who criticised a procurement system he said had been “chasing cut-price deals around the world rather than helping our own British-based suppliers become more stable and competitive”.

He also warned that the UK must “safeguard sovereign manufacturing and production capability”, naming food and farming alongside sectors such as steel, defence and energy.

CPRE said increasing local and sustainable public sector food buying could strengthen rural economies and improve food security.

The group said local procurement could reduce reliance on long supply chains at a time when climate shocks, ecosystem decline and global instability are putting pressure on food systems.

A government national security assessment published in 2026 warned that “significant increases in UK food system and supply chain resilience” are needed to help guard against hunger, conflict and instability linked to ecosystem decline and crop failures.

CPRE also pointed to previous research showing that more than 1,700 farms on the edges of English towns and cities have disappeared since 2010, covering 56,000 hectares of farmland — an area comparable to the size of Leeds.

The campaign group said these peri-urban farms could play a greater role in supplying local public sector food if procurement rules were reformed.

CPRE said pilot schemes in Wales, Bath and North East Somerset, and Bury show local procurement can work with limited extra investment.

It also highlighted Denmark’s 2015 Organic Action Plan, which shifted public food buying towards higher standards by cutting waste and prioritising seasonal produce.

The government’s National Procurement Policy Statement already includes a commitment to increase the proportion of public sector food sourced from local suppliers and certified to higher environmental standards.

Graeme Willis, CPRE agriculture lead and report author, said the current procurement culture had affected farmers and public sector food for too long.

“The cut-price procurement culture Andy Burnham criticised this week has played out for far too long on hospital menus and school dinner plates across the country,” he said.

He said investing in local producers to supply better quality food did not have to cost more, and could help support farmers, rural communities and national food security.

CPRE said ministers should use the forthcoming Food Strategy Action Plan to turn the 50% local and sustainable food pledge into a binding commitment for public sector buying.