At Lidl GB, we are incredibly proud of the strong and long-term relationships we’ve built with British producers over the last 30 years. We remain committed to supporting British farmers now more than ever and over the last year announced investments of £1bn into the British egg industry, £1.5bn into the British beef industry as well as £500m investment into the British pork sector and £70m into British root veg suppliers. By the end of the financial year, we will have invested a total of £21bn in the British food industry, exceeding our original five-year commitment by 40%.
As a supermarket, we are one of agriculture’s biggest customers and being able to buy British sourced produce is incredibly important to Lidl shoppers. With two thirds of our products sourced from British suppliers, including 100% of our everyday fresh beef, pork, poultry, milk, butter, cream and eggs, it’s important that we help British farmers, food producers and suppliers thrive now and in the future.
Providing security and long-term investment for British agriculture is key to helping ensure that farmers can continue to produce affordable and increasingly sustainable food for generations to come. We are concerned that the recent changes to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) regime will impact farmer and grower confidence and hold back the investment needed to build a resilient, productive and sustainable British food system. We, therefore, support the call by the farming community to pause the implementation of those changes and to consult with industry to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. We will be raising our concerns with Government at any opportunity we get.
