Remember when i was ridiculed for "Food Security" claims?

FonterraFarmer · Mar 26, 2020

Skintagain said:
I don’t think it will be forgotten as quick as everyone thinks. It has scared people this disaster. People are very anxious.

Maternal grandparents were market gardeners during WW2, and everyone was their best "friend", guess what after the war they couldn't give a feck, guess what history is going to repeat.?
As an industry once we are through covid 19 , that will be the time for agriculture/horticulture to combine and take it to the government and dictate how future policy will evolve.

ollie989898 · Mar 26, 2020

When I can still buy bread, spuds and 800g of Egyptian strawberrries during a global virus pandemic I reject all claims that food shortages are even a thing.

I strongly suggest that people visit a developing country and see what genuine subsistence diets look like before claiming food supplies are threatened in the UK. Fudge me sideways.

Lowland1 · Mar 26, 2020

If you want true food security you won't be producing beef and lamb it'll be cabbage and potatoes and intensive chicken

ollie989898 · Mar 26, 2020

andybk said:
we never wanted subsidies , just give us a decent % of the amount spent on food , we are primary producers and over 95% is taken by everyone else , the retail message has always been "we are the cheapest" and we as farmers are paying for it !

We have had this argument before. Industry figures show a gulf between production costs- what is a fair price then?

Grassman · Mar 26, 2020

The shortages at the moment are quite often because food is in the wrong place. It's only a week ago that food was going to restaurants, takeaways, schools, factory canteens etc. Now a lot are closed. Their suppliers are not suppliers of supermarkets so gradually the food will become available in the supermarkets as those suppliers don't want it as they can't sell it.

andybk · Mar 26, 2020

ollie989898 said:
We have had this argument before. Industry figures show a gulf between production costs- what is a fair price then?

not prices we received 30 years ago for one . reestablishment of smaller retailers and the high street through tax relief and more locally sourced food (re-intoduction of smaller local abattoirs remove some of the costs ) ,taxation on factory ultra processed food another , happy to let the market decide otherwise ,
At the moment the big boys totally control the whole chain as we saw with lamb prices last week , had there been somewhere local to kill more lambs , in turn supplying local butchers, prices wouldnt have fallen so far so quick ,as it would put more buyers in the mart , same with beef , as local butchers cant get enough to sell . This works for all our produce as local farm shop testifies
but of course tesco etc spend a lot on lobbying mps to cut out the competition through regulation

Bossfarmer · Mar 26, 2020

ollandroverman said:
So that means there will be Increased demand for local produced seasonal foods from our country....
prices will rise and as an industry it could well be argued we need less subsidy!

If prices rise im happy to take less, they will need to rise a lot the next few years though as inflation will be high

Brisel · Mar 26, 2020

Bossfarmer said:
we are at this moment relying on ships coming in and countries not banning exports, good situation to be in?

That’s one point we agree on ??

Farmer Roy · Mar 26, 2020

It’s irrelevant how much “food” ( ingredients ) farmers produce or where they produce it, if it can’t be distributed around the country ( trucks, drivers & fuel ) or if the public can’t buy it ( supermarkets, staff & electricity )

farmers are an important link in the chain yes, but no more so than truck drivers & shelf stackers, so get over your self righteous expectations that farmers are somehow “above” everyone else

FFS

kiwi pom · Mar 26, 2020

Grassman said:
The shortages at the moment are quite often because food is in the wrong place. It's only a week ago that food was going to restaurants, takeaways, schools, factory canteens etc. Now a lot are closed. Their suppliers are not suppliers of supermarkets so gradually the food will become available in the supermarkets as those suppliers don't want it as they can't sell it.

Exactly. Some fast food companies are now returning product that was in transit, to the processors as they have nowhere to store it. As supermarkets now seem like the only place you can buy food we have to figure out a way to get everything diverted.
I was in the supermarket the other day and saw they had a pallet of flour from the local mill that was in big catering sized bags, probably originally destined to a local bakery/shop that is now closed.
Even butchers are closing here so anyone directly supplying them will have to look for other markets.

kiwi pom · Mar 26, 2020

I'll agree with you on one thing @Bossfarmer When you think of the amount of wheat that is grown in the UK it seems really stupid to have to import milling wheat.

roscoe erf · Mar 26, 2020

Lowland1 · Mar 26, 2020

ollie989898 said:
When I can still buy bread, spuds and 800g of Egyptian strawberrries during a global virus pandemic I reject all claims that food shortages are even a thing.

I strongly suggest that people visit a developing country and see what genuine subsistence diets look like before claiming food supplies are threatened in the UK. Fudge me sideways.

We are sending people home with broccoli leaves and reject cabbages to feed their neighbours who have lost their jobs on flower farms as they literally have nothing so anyone who thinks it's tough in the UK should walk a mile or two in their shoes.

Farmer Roy · Mar 26, 2020

I was under the impression that the whole point of farm subsidies, farmer dole, brown paper envelopes, BPS payments or whatever you want to call them, was to ensure food security & production after the deprivations of WWII & the u boats . . .

that’s worked out well hasn’t it ?

seems to me that it is the transport, distribution, processing & retail sectors who turn out to be more important & should have been getting that safety net from the public purse all this time . . .

if anything, this has proved what a lie the “payments to ensure food security & cheap food” mantra is that is regularly chanted here . . .

it hasn’t worked has it ?

Farmer Roy · Mar 26, 2020

So, in answer to the OP

I am ridiculing you now . . .

Northern territory · Mar 26, 2020

It’s correct there are no shortages but to cut a long story short the supply chain is all cocked up. I think one thing that could be Learnt from this which had been muted a few weeks ago is the need to cut a lot of food miles out and stop carrying stuff from one end of the country to another to save a few quid.

suffolksmallholder · Mar 26, 2020

Plenty of food in the shops now the hoo ha has died down. FTSE is doing ok. Folk are staying at home having an unexpected holiday. BUT the hospitals are in a very scary situation and we'll all have to wait and take our turn at being ill. Some may fall off their perch......IMO
Today all the available farm machinery is on the land here in EA. The resulting pollution you could cut with a knife, yuk. There's a blue haze all over the landscape and this isn't nice. All the old tractors belching....Yes I have two too.

SS

Half Pipe · Mar 26, 2020

Search some of the white goods online seller's stock of freezers!
That will give a good idea of where alot of the food is going!

Bossfarmer · Mar 26, 2020

Farmer Roy said:
It’s irrelevant how much “food” ( ingredients ) farmers produce or where they produce it, if it can’t be distributed around the country ( trucks, drivers & fuel ) or if the public can’t buy it ( supermarkets, staff & electricity )

farmers are an important link in the chain yes, but no more so than truck drivers & shelf stackers, so get over your self righteous expectations that farmers are somehow “above” everyone else

FFS

View attachment 866187

without farmers these would have nothing to transport

Bossfarmer · Mar 26, 2020

Farmer Roy said:
I was under the impression that the whole point of farm subsidies, farmer dole, brown paper envelopes, BPS payments or whatever you want to call them, was to ensure food security & production after the deprivations of WWII & the u boats . . .

that’s worked out well hasn’t it ?

seems to me that it is the transport, distribution, processing & retail sectors who turn out to be more important & should have been getting that safety net from the public purse all this time . . .

if anything, this has proved what a lie the “payments to ensure food security & cheap food” mantra is that is regularly chanted here . . .

it hasn’t worked has it ?

yes it has worked as the trucks have something to haul

Remember when i was ridiculed for "Food Security" claims?

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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