LOTS of apologies and humble pie from the retailers for letting farmers and consumers down pretty much sums up the NFU’s 2013 annual conference.

One of the main speakers was Mr Tesco, Philip Clarke, who told the world’s media that in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, customer concerns about food provenance had to be responded to.

He admitted the way retailers sourced meat was too complex and that Tesco had responsibility to lead the way, restoring consumer confidence.

He announced a raft of measures to introduce better controls – the most exciting of which is bringing food closer to home. This will start with the sourcing of all chicken from the UK on July 1.

This is wonderful news for local poultry farmers as it’s bound to create opportunities for them.

Mr Clarke also told his farming audience that recent events could provide the springboard to greater consumer trust. On the issue of supporting the Red Tractor logo he felt that: “Red tractor and British are the same.”

His comments were reported in detail by the national press and Tesco even took out a two-page advert, so Mr Clarke has made pledges to both farmers and the public alike – now it’s up to us as the farming industry to make sure he carries out his pledges.

What about the other four supermarkets then? Well, all the other major retailers will need to sit up and think, especially Sainsbury with its dire attitude towards the Red Tractor and threats to drop it in preference for its own standard marque.

There is no doubt in my mind that British farms deliver for worried consumers. Higher welfare standards and value for money are the key factors in keeping shoppers happy – Britain’s farmers can deliver this.

At the end of the conference, President Peter Kendall applauded the honesty of Tesco and quite rightly too.

It seems that retailers are stepping up to the plate and realising that a simple supply chain is a better thing. The opportunity to change the way the chain operates has been presented and now the NFU has to ensure that it does business with British farmers and sells British food. No doubt many farmers will remain sceptical, even suspicious about the Tesco move, but the door is open and it would be wrong of British farming to ignore this.