Getting Jeremy Clarkson on board to drive home the 'back British farming' message was a PR-savvy move by the NFU, securing, as it did, coverage in the national press and causing a buzz on social media.
Reiterating many of the messages the union, other representative groups and, dare I say, even听草榴社区 Guardian听has voiced in recent years about the future of the industry, Mr Clarkson certainly has the ear of a certain section of the public.
Whether he was reinforcing the need to buy British, or the challenges faced by young farmers trying to get a foot on the ladder due to lack of available land, he adopted a thankfully common sense and pragmatic approach.
But whether he helps the industry's cause once the media buzz dies away will be another thing, especially with a Westminster Government which seems to flip flop when it comes to policy and the practical realities within different industry sectors.
The NFU is right to reinforce the need for greater resilience in terms of food production, especially with self sufficiency dropping to around 60 per cent. But given the current challenges the industry faces around workforce and wider supply chain resilience, for example the impact haulage problems are having, there are wider structural problems at play which are not being properly addressed by Ministers.
This is causing increasing concern because, while the NFU should be ambitious in its view for British agriculture and call for people to back the farming sector, it seems the growing economic pressures brought about by Brexit are presenting serious hurdles which need to be overcome in the first instance.
Maybe the images of empty retail shelves, alongside food price inflation, will focus minds in Government, but the current supply chain challenges and lack of available labour need quickly addressing, otherwise the wider aspirations for agriculture will never get the attention they deserve.
