Field To Fork. BHS Store Farming UK

[Wolds Beef]

@JP1 What a wonderful idea. Please put up link on this thread, May be some TFF,ers are involved!!
WB

 

[Goweresque]

Farmers take over former BHS store with 'buy British' message

Farmers are set to take over a former BHS store in Oxfordshire to showcase the importance of buying local and backing British food production.

www.farminguk.com

 

[Sid]

An massive opportunity for farmers now with vacant shops available to get closer to the consumer ?

 

[Bruce Almighty]

I hope they do well, it's only half an hour away I'll go & have a look

 

[delilah]

An massive opportunity for farmers now with vacant shops available to get closer to the consumer ?

They are vacant for a reason.
Direct sales is just middle England pleasuring itself (And that from someone who does direct sales and set up a farmers market.).
Yes, of course there is a role for direct sales, bigger the better, but it will only ever account for a tiny proportion of food sales. Structural change in the marketplace is needed to have a real impact. Otherwise its just a niche, and if there is one word I hate it is niche.

I hope they do well, it's only half an hour away I'll go & spend more than I do at the supermarket

Edited that for you. Though tbf, if you at least go and have a look you will be showing more interest than most farmers do in supporting such initiatives. In my experience if there is one category of society that is crap at supporting farmers selling direct, it is farmers.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

They are vacant for a reason.
Direct sales is just middle England pleasuring itself (And that from someone who does direct sales and set up a farmers market.).
Yes, of course there is a role for direct sales, bigger the better, but it will only ever account for a tiny proportion of food sales. Structural change in the marketplace is needed to have a real impact. Otherwise its just a niche, and if there is one word I hate it is niche.



Edited that for you. Though tbf, if you at least go and have a look you will be showing more interest than most farmers do in supporting such initiatives. In my experience if there is one category of society that is crap at supporting farmers selling direct, it is farmers.

I'll work it out for myself before I spend anything.

I've seen a local farm shop called "The Farm" & it's not much of a farm, more a bloody rip off

 

[delilah]

I'll work it out for myself before I spend anything.

I've seen a local farm shop called "The Farm" & it's not much of a farm, more a bloody rip off

And there, folks, we have it in a nutshell. The public should pay the farmer a fair price, but i'll be fudged if i'm going to.

Sorry. Seriously, if you could report back on what either place is charging for specific items, how much of that is going back to the primary producer, how it compares to the supermarket, would be a useful exercise. Thanks.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

And there, folks, we have it in a nutshell. The public should pay the farmer a fair price, but i'll be fudged if i'm going to.

Sorry. Seriously, if you could report back on what either place is charging for specific items, how much of that is going back to the primary producer, how it compares to the supermarket, would be a useful exercise. Thanks.

He said he would go to look and judge whether it might be "not much of a farm, more a bloody rip off ".
I'm happy to pay extra [in actuality it is more inconvenience rather than money] to buy from a supplier direct but in many of the farmers markets I have seen it is a bunch of people profiteering from our persona while having never been on a farm in their life. This is no different than the supermarkets using the fake farm names which seems to upset many.
In this case it does seem like a genuine project which should be applauded.

 

[delilah]

In this case it does seem like a genuine project which should be applauded.

100%. My only point was that farmers are generally happy to 'applaud' but stop short of 'spending'.
As you quite rightly say, it is 'inconvenience' rather than 'money' that is the barrier. Direct sales, for that very reason of convenience, will only ever account for a small percentage of total food sales. The vast majority of farm output will always be sold at the farm gate, it is the structure of the food chain beyond the farm gate that needs to be addressed.

Re farmers markets, at ours there is a high level of provenance we know the stallholders and they are all happy to answer questions about their farm. Whether they are 'profiteering' or charging a fair price is down to the interpretation of the shopper. Is a pack of sausages 'too expensive' at a farmers market or 'too cheap' at a supermarket ? In my experience once you compare like with like they are cheaper at the farmers market anyway so it becomes a moot point.

 

[DealeyPlaza1963]

This makes huge sense on so many levels ; Wondering if there are any legal beaks here to answer; What, if anything, differentiates a 'Farmers' market' from a market- thinking in terms of the many places where ancient historic charters are legally preventing the setting up of new markets.

 

[Sid]

They are vacant for a reason.
Direct sales is just middle England pleasuring itself (And that from someone who does direct sales and set up a farmers market.).
Yes, of course there is a role for direct sales, bigger the better, but it will only ever account for a tiny proportion of food sales. Structural change in the marketplace is needed to have a real impact. Otherwise its just a niche, and if there is one word I hate it is niche.

Vacant because most non perishable goods are switching to online.

Every town in Britain has a market selling various foodstuffs. Having a shop at a knock down rent due to Coronovirus with 4 or 5 different farmers selling various foods could work, like a supermarket . I've seen it work for arts and crafts. Handful of one person companies taking in turns to work in shop.

So what if it's a tiny proportion it's about doing something different.

You hate niche? Yet you sell direct and do farmers markets? That's niche?
Does that mean you love commodity selling at the lowest price possible?

 

[delilah]

You hate niche? Yet you sell direct and do farmers markets? That's niche?

I hate the fact that it is seen as niche.
That is a future where 5% of the population have access to fresh, healthy, local food, where the primary producer receives a fair slice of the pie, and the other 95% have whatever a small handful of corporations decide they should have.
Farmers markets, veg boxes, etc should be a part of a diverse food economy, not a token gesture. A diverse food economy will only be achieved by reversing the concentration of market share. Most people want to just jump in the car/ go online and do their weekly shop, that will continue, its convenient. The issue is that when they do so at present they are taking part in a food chain that screws those further down the line and hauls food far further than need be.

 

[delilah]

What, if anything, differentiates a 'Farmers' market' from a market-

There was a National Association of Farmers Markets, which set out guidelines, they have now merged with the Farm Retail Association, who I would hope still provide those guidelines to those wanting to set up a farmers market.
Though you are right, it isn't protected in law. Years ago Heinz jumped on the bandwagon and launched a 'farmers market' soup. Attempts were made to stop them, but unlike the word 'organic', the phrase 'farmers market' has no legal protection.

 

[delilah]

The enterprise in the OP. The enterprises in this article. They need to be a part of the mainstream, not separate from the mainstream. Only then have we got anywhere in addressing the issues facing farmers, communities and the environment.

https://www.facebook.com/LandWorkersAlliance/posts/3229827527110915

 

[Bruce Almighty]

I just knew the Guardian would get mentioned sooner or later