"On 14 June 2023, the Sustainable Food Places network will come together with parliamentarians in Westminster to chart national and local action towards a better food future. The event will shine a spotlight on the role food partnerships play in attracting investment in better food locally and delivering solutions to some of the most pressing issues in our food system, including long-term solutions to food insecurity and achieving fairness for farmers, producers, and workers across the supply chain." Full details of the SFP event can be found here.
The Shropshire Good Food Partnership will be represented by the dynamic Kate Garner, our newest director.
We have invited all MPs from across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, with the hope of speaking to them about Shropshire's food economy, health and environment.
In our message to MPs, we've asked for a few very specific National-level and Local-level actions:
"As a Shropshire MP, you are in a unique position to champion policies and programmes that can have an impact at both local and national levels.
In addition to the Calls to Action outlined above by Sustainable Food Places, we ask you to support the local food system, and the work we do to celebrate and elevate Shropshire's producers, businesses, organisations, and institutions.
• Help us work with local Councils to ensure that funds allocated under UK Shared Prosperity, Levelling Up and Rural England Prosperity Fund are used to build the local food economy, to build community food resilience and promote Healthy Weight strategy outcomes and meeting of climate and environmental aims.
At a National Level, we ask you to support:
The Right to Grow (as part of the Levelling-up Bill)
A wider reach for Free School Meals and healthy meals for school aged children, as well as the Healthy Start Scheme
Bills that prioritise a focus on regenerative food and farming practices that support the health and sustainability of our landscape and food producers.
As an organisation that focuses on Shropshire's food system, its connections, and its diversity of players, we would like to invite you to join the Shropshire Good Food Partnership and show your support for our local food system:
On the Shropshire Good Food Trail, launching from the Shrewsbury Food Festival on June 24th, and running across the County until it concludes at the Oswestry Food Festival on July 9th.
At the Marches Real Food & Farming Conference, taking place on September 15th and 16th at Linley Farm.
As a part of our wider network of stakeholders to celebrate and elevate Shropshire's food system and the producers, businesses, organisations and actors that make it work.
To support our aim of working with Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Councils in developing a food strategy and supporting policy structures that would make Shropshire a leader in joined-up food system thinking, as a model for rural counties across the nation.
To bring our rural agricultural heritage and food producers to the forefront of our resilience plans, where this aspect of our county and its people are visible in health, economy, climate action and environment aims. Your participation and partnership in these efforts would be a demonstrable and visible way of showing your support for Shropshire’s better food and farming future, and the concrete actions already taking place."
See our letter to MPs and the Briefing for the day below.
As constituents, each individual has a right to contact their MP and share what is important to them. Please consider contacting your local MP to let them know that a healthy, fair, accessible and green food system is what you want for Shropshire, urging them to vote accordingly on bills tabled at Westminster.