Riverford stood up for farmers in the face of an issue threatening the fabric of British farming – the commercial practices of supermarkets and their suppliers that threaten the livelihoods of family farmers.

Our research revealed that nearly half of independent British fruit & veg farmers feared they would be out of business within 12 months. We drafted a powerful open letter to the CEOs of the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets, with hundreds of signatures from celebrities, MPs, organisations, farmers and public figures.

As headlines, column inches, columnists and broadcasters reported on our story, we launched a government e-petition so British consumers could support the call for change. We surpassed the 100,000 signatures required to trigger parliamentary debate and so the stage was set for a change in the law.

On the day of the debate, we erected 49 scarecrows outside parliament, to represent the 49% of farmers who feared they'd be driven out of business. The perfect media backdrop, the campaign dominated media headlines as MPs debated the issue. By the end of the day, we'd secured a review of the GSCOP law that governs the relationship between farmers, retailers and their suppliers.