NORTH Yorkshire farmers Peter and Joanne Richardson feature in a new promotion by Sainsbury's.

As suppliers of the pork used in the supermarket's new organic pork and leek sausages, their photograph appears on the packets.

Customer research has shown that consumers are increasingly interested in where their food has come from and are keen to support British farmers, with 60pc being more likely to buy organic food if it is produced in the UK.

Last year Sainsbury's launched an organic web site where customers could trace their fresh produce back to the farm it was grown on.

The new packaging on all Sainsbury's organic pork, beef, lamb, chicken and sausages now features photographs of the producers.

"We supply Cranswick Country Foods, who process the meat for Sainsbury's," said Mr Richardson. "We've seen our photo on some sample packets Sainsbury's sent to us."

Mr Richardson and his wife farm 400 acres at Home Farm, Newby Wiske, plus land elsewhere. They converted an area of land to organic about seven years ago at the suggestion of a good friend. Two-thirds of the farm is now fully organic, with the rest being completed in a couple of years.

Apart from the organic outdoor reared pigs, they also grow organic potatoes, parsnips, carrots and courgettes.

The 170 sows' dam line is half Duroc, a quarter Landrace and a quarter Large White.

Sainsbury's aims to obtain 55pc of its own-label organic fresh foods range from British producers this year. It already gets 100pc British fresh organic milk, eggs, butter, cream, native cheeses, beef, pork, poultry, lamb and fish, as well as all natural UK seasonal organic fresh fruits, salads and vegetables.

The other four farmers to feature in the organic range are from Somerset, Berkshire, Swindon and Gloucestershire