Sustain • Sustainable Farming Campaign
Longer term priorities (2-5 years)
- Advocate for changing the subsidy system currently provided through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) so public money is used to deliver specific public goods – such as protecting, restoring and enhancing nature and providing diverse and sustainable farming systems and rural diversification, rather than subsidising companies producing less healthy commodities such as sugar.
- Give British organic farmers a fair economic deal, with similar payments for the social and environmental benefits of organic farming as the majority of organic farmers in the rest of the European Union.
- Support all UK inshore fisheries towards full Marine Stewardship Council certification, with urgent fishery improvement plans for those not yet ready to undergo cerification. And support more UK fish farms to achieve Aquaculture Stewardship Council, organic and Freedom Food status.
- Raise the statutory minimum wage to a living wage, recognising that the food sector is the biggest employer in the UK and low wages are currently the norm
- Require all bakers and retailers to display at the point of sale full lists of ingredients and any processing aids or other artificial additives used for all loaves, including those not prepacked for sale.
- Introduce free, healthy lunches for the most disadvantaged pre-school children as part of their existing free childcare entitlement from the age of two.
- Roll out of Universal Free School Meals to all primary age students and ensure that free school meal eligibility criteria extended to all children living in poverty regardless of age.
- Ensure all secondary schools have a closed site policy thus ensuring provision of school meals for all children up to 16.
- Improve planning policy to ensure all new developments provide access to land for community food growing, no new housing, schools or hospitals are built without kitchens, and retail outlets selling healthy fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables, no more than 500m from any residential property.
- Make provision of community meals for the most vulnerable a statutory responsibility
Sustainable Farming Campaign: Sustain encourages integration of sustainable food and farming into local, regional and national government policies.
