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Farmer launches anti-fake farm campaign

Anne Dunn 26 April 2025
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A Staffordshire arable farmer has launched the #FarmWashing campaign in protest over so-called fake farm brands used by supermarkets, including Tesco.

Clive Bailye says the branding on food products which makes it look like they come from those farms, such as Boswell Farms for beef, Woodside Farms for pork and Willow Farms for chicken at Tesco, should be illegal as they are deceiving consumers.

See also: Scientists label Riverford ‘farmwashing’ campaign hypocritical

The Farming Forum, founded by Mr Bailye, is running the campaign calling for:

  • Clear food labelling that doesn’t deceive consumers
  • A requirement for supermarkets to stock a minimum percentage of British foods
  • Laws to prevent supermarkets buying UK farm produce below the cost of production.

Commenting on social media platform X, Mr Bailye said: “None of these farms exist. All are works of fiction by Tesco supermarkets.

“This farmwashing practice should be made illegal.”

The campaign launch drew a mixed response on X, with one farmer describing fake farm brands as “food fraud”, and another accusing supermarkets of using imported food then giving it British names “to make them sound local”.

But some complained that the imaging used appeared to have been generated by Artificial Intelligence, which itself was “fake”.

Tesco response

Responding to the criticism a Tesco spokesperson said: “We are proud to be British agriculture’s biggest customer and are a leading supporter of the thousands of British farmers who provide our customers with quality, affordable produce year-round.

“These brands are named to represent the quality specifications that go into every product.”

They added that all their packaging clearly displays the country of origin to help customers make an informed decision when they shop at Tesco.

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