Morrisons has promised not to use fake farm names on any of its products.

The names, which are used by retailers including Tesco and Aldi, have come under fire from farm unions, who claim the they will mislead customers; farm groups have been especially angered when British sounding farm names have been used to sell produce from other countries.

Morrisons came under fire for selling own-brand meat products under the ‘Hemsley Farms’ label last year. Earlier this year, German supermarket Aldi changed its labelling policy, replacing its Wood Farm brand with Nature’s Pick, but retaining the Ashfield Farm brand, which sells 100% British meat.

Members of the public surveyed have tended to side with farm unions, objecting to the use of fictional farm names as brands used by supermarkets. Shoppers questioned in a survey by Morrisons said they only wanted real place or farm names to appear on packaging, which the Yorkshire-based supermarket said cemented its decision to eschew fake names. The retailer said its commitment only extends to items from its own-brand suppliers, not products from third parties.

Commenting on the decision on Thursday, NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said, “We welcome this commitment from Morrisons not to introduce fictional farm branding in its stores. In our view it is important that product names and descriptions on packaging are clear, accurate and do not mislead consumers. We would always encourage shoppers to look out for the Red Tractor logo to ensure the food is produced to the highest welfare standards, and can be traced back to a British farm.

“Farmers supplying Morrisons will today be in stores across the country as part of the announcement. This provides the perfect opportunity for farmers to have direct conversations with shoppers to tell their stories about the high quality, high welfare food they produce on a daily basis.”

Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, added, “The fake farms scandal revealed that some supermarkets are happy for their customers to form misleading views of how food has been produced. The news that Morrisons has chosen not to use fake farm brand names is a welcome acknowledgment that this is bad practice and insulting to both farmers and shoppers – other supermarkets who still use fake farms on their packaging should do the same.  

“This also shows that labelling really matters  - which is why we’re calling on the Government to introduce mandatory method of production labelling for all meat and dairy. This would give shoppers the information they deserve about the conditions in which farm animals are raised and help more farmers adopt higher welfare standards.”