We made local foods...
FARMA launches a new campaign this month encouraging shoppers at farm-direct sales outlets - farm shops, farmers' markets, PYO's and box schemes - to actively get involved with supporting the local foods agenda and the outlets you enjoy shopping at. Thousands of leaflets have been printed to be distributed to FARMA members and will be given away to shoppers all across the country in an effort to get a real push from the (up to) 30% of the population who shop at direct-sales outlets*
The leaflets contain postcards made out to both FARMA (for further correspondence) and to Lord Rooker at DEFRA, urging him and his department to take note of farmers’ markets and farm shops, pick-your-own farms and box schemes.
These outlets are where you buy local food now. We made local foods available first, and we make the local foods, not the supermarkets. Now the supermarkets want a slice of the action – and if their past behaviour is anything to learn from, they really want the whole cake.
It is especially important that we take action now and ask for your support. There is a strong and sustainable local foods network existing already, providing thousands of jobs and keeping cash in the rural and local sector. Yet it is fragile. Since the Curry Report of 2002, the music getting to the government’s ears has been from the supermarkets – and how they must get local foods on the shelves. Overlooking our important sector – without which there would be no ‘local foods’ – puts thousands of livelihoods across the country on the line, would badly impact the local economy (supermarkets do not benefit the local economy as well as local reinvestment**), reduces the shopper’s choice and, importantly, food experience.
If you want to have continuing choice about where you do your food shopping; if you value your farmers’ market and the stallholders who come from local communities; if you want there to be a growing artisan and local food culture based on small craft businesses – then support our FRIENDS OF LOCAL FOODS CAMPAIGN. We need you! If we lose local foods direct from the producer, everyone will be the poorer.
Click here to complete your details. You will get a regular e-newsletter, a guide to direct sales outlets – and the satisfaction that you, like us, are standing up for local food retailing in the community.
If you are a member of the association and would like to get involved, please contact us on 0845 4588420
* FARMA YouGov survey results 2004, 2005, 2006, approximate value
** New Economics Foundation LM3 reports (example: link1, link2) |