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Farmers to get boost from new buy local initiative

Posted 21/07/2014

David Cameron, PM, announced a new ‘buy local’ initiative that will help farmers and other food producers in the UK. More public sector organisations should be buying local produce, according to the Prime Minister during a visit to the Royal Welsh Show at Powys, Wales.

The government believes it can make significant savings from buying UK produce. According to its figures, over £1.2 billion is spent by public sector organisations on food and drink, with over £600 million on imported produce. The government thinks it could save around £200m a year by buying UK produce. It has pledged to start purchasing UK-only produce from 2017 onwards.

The Prime Minister said: “Our long-term economic plan is all about backing the do-ers and the hard-workers – and no one does more or works as hard in Britain today than our farmers. By opening up these contracts, we can help them create more jobs, invest in their businesses and make sure people in our country have a healthier lifestyle.”