A Conservative Government would buy British

Nick Herbert, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, will tell delegates at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester that the Government’s record on public procurement is a ‘disgrace’.

Under Conservative plans, all central government departments will be prevented from buying food produced below British standards of production.

Mr Herbert told Farmers Guardian that by setting procurement standards, a Tory Government would defend the interests of British farmers.

“When the Government is spending £2 billion on the procurement of food every year it is terrible that it is not buying as much British food as possible.

“We are going to make it a requirement that central government departments procure food to British standards.

“It would be illegal to say government departments have to procure British food but we can set the standards of production that will mean more British food is procured.

“For instance, the treasury only sources about half of its food from British sources and we are talking about food that could be grown in Britain.”

Mr Herbert said he hoped the plan to require central government departments to source British standard food would be extended across all public sectors.

“We want to see a better performance firstly in government departments then extending across the public sector into schools and hospitals as well.

“It is a disgrace that not a single rasher of bacon that is served to our armed forces is British, for instance.”

“Our proposal to procure British standard food shows we are leading from the front and taking a stance for British farming industry.

“We intend to back British farmers unlike the current government,” he said.

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