Prince William has expressed concerns about how to convince the public of the quality and benefits of locally grown, sustainably produced food amid competition from cheap supermarket alternatives.
The royal is considering whether the Duchy of Cornwall can help promote its small producers, with staff now accustomed to receiving follow-up calls after his farming visits.
"There is a huge problem here and I haven't got an answer," he said of how to recognise the work of British farmers against the "generalised" approach of "mass retailers".
The Prince of Wales added: "We keep asking more and more of our farmers but you don't necessarily get any benefits back on top of everything you have to do."
Prince William has expressed concerns about how to convince the public of the quality and benefits of locally grown, sustainably produced food amid competition from cheap supermarket alternatives.
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William has appointed Sue Padfield as a new "family farming ambassador" to serve as a roving "listening ear" for farmers across the Duchy's estates.
"I see the Duchy as an extension of the work we do with the Royal Foundation," said William.
While the Foundation has traditionally worked in urban areas on homelessness, mental health and child development, the Duchy can extend this to the countryside.
"I see it as a branch of my philanthropy," William said. "There's so much good we can do in the rural world. I see it as another arm to the work that I want to do, which is being a positive force for good."
The royal is considering whether the Duchy of Cornwall can help promote its small producers, with staff now accustomed to receiving follow-up calls after his farming visits.
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William recently became patron of the charity We Are Farming Minds, co-founded by Sam Stables, a 45-year-old farmer who once came close to ending his own life.
The charity now runs a 24/7 support line and offers funding for counselling, mental health training, social meet-ups and a minibus to get people there.
The Prince "wanted to make sure that his tenants had the support through a service. He's a family man and loves the country," Stables said.
Stuart Rogers, a fifth-generation Duchy tenant farmer, called the focus on wellbeing "pretty unique, it's pretty progressive".
"Farming has been hit by a lot of different things recently. Funding cuts, regulations... There's a lot of pressure and lone working. Farmers, we carry a lot of weight," Rogers said.
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The Prince "wanted to make sure that his tenants had the support through a service. He's a family man and loves the country," Stables said.
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The Duchy is hosting more events for young farmers, providing advice on succession planning and taking over family businesses.
As Heather Webb described the gatherings: "An excuse to drag people off the farm and have a pie and a pint together with no agenda."
"As a large landowner, we have convening power," Webb added. The events address tricky questions about succession, a topic with which the Prince is presumably familiar given his own position.
Rogers noted how the initiative brings farmers together: "It's funny how it takes the Duchy to get together and meet up."
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