Just a Thought!!

Wolds Beef

Member
If all the active farmers and members on here wrote or emailed there local paper requesting that the general public considered buying local, ie, farm shops, local butchers and bakers, and green grocers. Would it make a difference? If people supported there local suppliers it certainly would be greener and cut food miles. For my sins!! I have done this in the past and will do again.
WB
 

ewald

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Mid-Lincs
Nice thought and always worth trying, but.....most people seem to have two priorities when shopping
1) Price
2) Convenience

A proportion of people will make an effort to use local shops sourcing locally, but probably they are doing it already.

Might it be better to encourage the supermarkets to move away from central buying and distribution?( I know the cost/efficiency arguments). Lincolnshire coop seems to be moving in this direction
 

delilah

Member
If all the active farmers and members on here wrote or emailed there local paper requesting that the general public considered buying local, ie, farm shops, local butchers and bakers, and green grocers. Would it make a difference? If people supported there local suppliers it certainly would be greener and cut food miles. For my sins!! I have done this in the past and will do again.
WB

before asking 'the general public' to do this, it would be a start to ask the farming community - who clearly see themselves as a breed apart - to do so.
 

delilah

Member
If all the active farmers and members on here wrote or emailed there local paper requesting that the general public considered buying local, ie, farm shops, local butchers and bakers, and green grocers. Would it make a difference? If people supported there local suppliers it certainly would be greener and cut food miles. For my sins!! I have done this in the past and will do again.
WB

You are, of course, 100% correct. Market share is the root of all evil. For a great many of the threads on here, the answer is a reversal in the concentration of market share in food retailing. This will only happen through action at two levels;

Micro: action by the individual as you identify. The attached expands on the points you raise.

Macro: Legislation. For this to happen everyone needs to understand that the oligopoly that today exists can be broken up without the general public noticing. People like doing all of their weekly shop under one roof. That's not the problem. The problem is that all of these roofs throughout the UK are owned by a handful of businesses. Legislation can be introduced to reverse the concentration of market share without a vote being lost but to the benefit of all. Until this is understood - by politicians and by the farmers who fawn over the supermarkets - nothing good will happen.
 

Attachments

  • 10 ways to create a better World 1.docx
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ewald

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Mid-Lincs
I actually know of few farmers who 'fawn over the supermarkets' - many I have spoken to regard them as an inevitable part of modern business, some (in unguarded moments) loath the power wielded by them.
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
Bill WIGGIN .... one of our MPs made some good points in a speech in Parliament in support of the livestock industry which was reported on in the local newspaper. Since then the 'anti' brigade have slated him from every angle going. I know of 4 letters of support that have been sent in but I doubt any will be printed .
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
You are, of course, 100% correct. Market share is the root of all evil. For a great many of the threads on here, the answer is a reversal in the concentration of market share in food retailing. This will only happen through action at two levels;

Micro: action by the individual as you identify. The attached expands on the points you raise.

Macro: Legislation. For this to happen everyone needs to understand that the oligopoly that today exists can be broken up without the general public noticing. People like doing all of their weekly shop under one roof. That's not the problem. The problem is that all of these roofs throughout the UK are owned by a handful of businesses. Legislation can be introduced to reverse the concentration of market share without a vote being lost but to the benefit of all. Until this is understood - by politicians and by the farmers who fawn over the supermarkets - nothing good will happen.
Have read the attachment and on the whole I think it's quite good . I am considering printing off a hundred and distributing around however I first would like to know where the info came from and secondly I think the last paragraph about F&M is possibly a bit misleading and probably better off not mentioning .
 

delilah

Member
Have read the attachment and on the whole I think it's quite good . I am considering printing off a hundred and distributing around however I first would like to know where the info came from and secondly I think the last paragraph about F&M is possibly a bit misleading and probably better off not mentioning .

Wrote it best part of 20 years ago, updated now and then. The numbers are from published sources, the words are mine and as such are of course opinion. If there's any specific stat you wanted to know the source of I could try and dig it out.
I print 1000 every year or so and pay the scouts to deliver round the village. Do feel free to print, anything you're not happy with just amend/remove. :)
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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