A farmer has created a crop circle during this year's harvest to raise awareness of the value of locally produced food to the UK economy.
The crop circle was created on Antony Pearce's field at Moat Farm, Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.
Mr Pearce, who grows wheat for Weetabix, said it took over 36 hours to create the farmland image.
The crop circle highlights Weetabix’s commitment to working with local farmers to source all of its wheat from within 50-miles of their mills in rural Northamptonshire.
Mr Pearce said: “As a British farmer it's comforting to see some positives emerge from the first half of the year with people looking to support local businesses and seeking to have a greater understanding of where their food comes from.
"We have grown the highest quality wheat to meet Weetabix’s high standards for 10 years and are proud to be one of the farms that fall within the 50-mile radius of their factory.”
It follows the release of a new survey by Weetabix which found that almost half (48%) of British consumers now actively look for locally sourced food in the supermarket.
More than a third do so to be more ethical in their shopping habits, whilst over two thirds hope to support local farmers and almost half do so for healthier and fresher produce.
A further 51% believe that by ‘buying local’ they are helping the economy, and 45% hope to reduce their food miles.
The poll was conducted by OnePoll on 19 - 21 August 2020 with a survey of 2,000 people as national representatives.
