Supply and Demand

[delilah]

Just heard the NFU President talking about self-sufficiency. She spoke eloquently about the problems, I think my radio cut out where she spoke about solutions.

There are two ways of intervening in the marketplace; restrict supply, or stimulate demand. For decades (centuries) UK food policy has focused on trying to restrict supply. The current 'produced to our standards' campaign being the most recent version.

Is it time, instead, have a go at stimulating demand ? Should Govt departments and their agencies - who collectively consume a huge amount of food - be required by law to purchase a stated amount from UK producers ? The French, apparently, have introduced such legislation, anyone know if this has had an effect ? Any other examples from around the world of where Governments have focused on demand, rater than supply ?

 

[Yale]

Lets say I’m an MP,do I want cheap food and a happy electorate or happy farmers and voted out of a cushy job?

 

[delilah]

Lets say I’m an MP,do I want cheap food and a happy electorate or happy farmers and voted out of a cushy job?

Is this the view of the collective ? To forget food production in the UK ? To make no effort to stimulate demand for home production ?

 

[roscoe erf]

restrict supply I must have been living in another world as for the last 30 years all we've done and been encouraged to do is over supply

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Supply has never been restricted for this last hundred years

 

[SilliamWhale]

Agriculture is almost unique in needing a surplus

 

[Yale]

Is this the view of the collective ? To forget food production in the UK ? To make no effort to stimulate demand for home production ?

I agree with simulation of demand however it is fighting against a tide of a desire for affordable food.

Everyone’s perspective of affordable is different.

If you have just lost your job and have a family to feed affordable will be least price.

 

[steveR]

Is it time, instead, have a go at stimulating demand ? Should Govt departments and their agencies - who collectively consume a huge amount of food - be required by law to purchase a stated amount from UK producers ? The French, apparently, have introduced such legislation, anyone know if this has had an effect ? Any other examples from around the world of where Governments have focused on demand, rater than supply ?

I never fail to be amazed and annoyed at the source of foodstuffs etc that are supplied to the Armed Services. I see the "RAT" packs my son has, or the ancillary stuff like powdered drinks. There does not seem to be much interest in making sure they buy local. Apparently, once aupon a time the canteens would source local ingredients where possible... now, who knows. Some LA and schools are as bad.

 

[Cowabunga]

I never fail to be amazed and annoyed at the source of foodstuffs etc that are supplied to the Armed Services. I see the "RAT" packs my son has or the ancillary stuff like powdered drinks. There does not seem to be much interest in making sure they buy local. Apparently, once aupon a time the canteens would source local ingredients where possible... now, who knows. Some LA and schools are as bad.

They are forced to buy from the cheapest tender in most cases. So there is massive downward price pressure on suppliers. Which is why kids used to be given 'turkey' twizzlers and similar rubbish more often than quality whole unprocessed goods produced 'locally'.

 

[delilah]

restrict supply I must have been living in another world as for the last 30 years all we've done and been encouraged to do is over supply

for the purposes of this thread, supply means supply from abroad, as opposed to home production.

Supply has never been restricted for this last hundred years

There are various measures in place to restrict supply from abroad, principally on the grounds of food standards.

I agree with simulation of demand however it is fighting against a tide of a desire for affordable food.

Everyone’s perspective of affordable is different.

If you have just lost your job and have a family to feed affordable will be least price.

As per the OP, I am suggesting Govt agencies, rather than individual households.

They are forced to buy from the cheapest tender in most cases. So there is massive downward price pressure on suppliers. Which is why kids used to be given 'turkey' twizzlers and similar rubbish more often than quality whole unprocessed goods produced 'locally'.

As per the OP, the French apparently do it. Different rules ? Different attitude to the rules ? Dunno, hence asking the question. Can/ should we do it ?

 

[Grassman]

The British have very little loyalty to home production of anything.
And let's face it farmers are as guilty as anyone. Only farmers are stupid enough to go on protests about milk sellers using imported milk riding on their expensive imported tractors and pickups.

 

[livestock 1]

The British have very little loyalty to home production of anything.
And let's face it farmers are as guilty as anyone. Only farmers are stupid enough to go on protests about milk sellers using imported milk riding on their expensive imported tractors and pickups.

Surely it’s not at all in any way practical to do without a pickup or a tractor farming in this country in this day and age though???

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

There are various measures in place to restrict supply from abroad, principally on the grounds of food standards

You started this thread, as you heard something on the radio about it, yet your radio went off and missed the punchline,
You are saying we need to increase demand for food,
Yet in the other thread your complaining about the demand for food due to government eat out to help out,
Make your fecking mind up what you want, then come back to us about it,
And to put things straight, if you look back through this and other threads, I have never quoted you first, only replied to what you quoted of me saying,
Starting to think your a troll, that could be employed to get through traffic on this site

 

[delilah]

You started this thread, as you heard something on the radio about it, yet your radio went off and missed the punchline,
You are saying we need to increase demand for food,
Yet in the other thread your complaining about the demand for food due to government eat out to help out,
Make your fecking mind up what you want, then come back to us about it,
And to put things straight, if you look back through this and other threads, I have never quoted you first, only replied to what you quoted of me saying,
Starting to think your a troll, that could be employed to get through traffic on this site

lol. The thread is in response to a radio interview with Minette Batters this morning, she talked about her desire to increase UK self sufficiency in food. I am assuming that in saying that she has the support of the majority of folks on here. She didn't make any suggestions as to how this could be achieved, hence my comment re the radio dipping out.

The OP is to suggest a potential way in which this increase in self sufficiency could be achieved. Have dug out a link re what the French are apparently doing. Do folks think we should be doing similar ?

https://www.farminguk.com/news/fran...ic-sector-organic-or-local-by-2022_48536.html

(I don't have a scooby what you are on about in the rest of your post).

 

[Lowland1]

As someone who has benefited from exporting to the U.K I think it’s not nearly as simple as ramping up production. 93% of fruit and 47% of vegetables are imported and I believe that the main reason for this is peoples diets and expectations have changed 30 years ago you wouldn’t have seen many mangoes or avocados in the shops I personally had never seen a Mango until I went to Australia now you can buy them year round in Lincoln. With regard to vegetables,tenderstem broccoli, french beans and mangetout peas have replaced cabbages and cauliflowers.People eat rice and pasta generally not grown or produced in U.K . So what does Minette Batters want to to increase production of. I can understand the reasoning behind not importing dairy or grain or meat that can be locally produced but the August 21st day we run out of locally produced food thing is a bit of a red herring. The U.K can be food self sufficient you just have to convince people to eat a lot more Cabbage.

 

[Grassman]

Surely it’s not at all in any way practical to do without a pickup or a tractor farming in this country in this day and age though???

No it isn't.
But the country used to be big in steel. Now we buy from China.
We had a clothing industry using wool. Now we buy clothes from China and anywhere else cheap and we can't sell our wool for the cost of the labour to shear it.
We had a ship industry. Gone
We had a car industry. Nearly gone.
Tractor industry. About one make now.
Electronics. Gone.
Motorcycle industry. Gone.
I could go on and on.
We expect our industries to compete with other countries or they are finished.
Yet farmers and other manufacturers are happy to buy foreign but expect our consumers to buy British even if dearer than imported.

I'm all for everyone buying British. Sod the Chinese. But we need to practice what we preach. Not just farming industry. everyone.

 

[livestock 1]

No it isn't.
But the country used to be big in steel. Now we buy from China.
We had a clothing industry using wool. Now we buy clothes from China and anywhere else cheap and we can't sell our wool for the cost of the labour to shear it.
We had a ship industry. Gone
We had a car industry. Nearly gone.
Tractor industry. About one make now.
Electronics. Gone.
Motorcycle industry. Gone.
I could go on and on.
We expect our industries to compete with other countries or they are finished.
Yet farmers and other manufacturers are happy to buy foreign but expect our consumers to buy British even if dearer than imported.

I'm all for everyone buying British. Sod the Chinese. But we need to practice what we preach. Not just farming industry. everyone.

I’m assuming you believe that farmers are to blame for the loss of these other industries in your world?

 

[milkloss]

I'm not sure it matters what is done..... food still has to remain cheap and plentiful.

 

[kiwi pom]

Just heard the NFU President talking about self-sufficiency. She spoke eloquently about the problems, I think my radio cut out where she spoke about solutions.

There are two ways of intervening in the marketplace; restrict supply, or stimulate demand. For decades (centuries) UK food policy has focused on trying to restrict supply. The current 'produced to our standards' campaign being the most recent version.

Is it time, instead, have a go at stimulating demand ? Should Govt departments and their agencies - who collectively consume a huge amount of food - be required by law to purchase a stated amount from UK producers ? The French, apparently, have introduced such legislation, anyone know if this has had an effect ? Any other examples from around the world of where Governments have focused on demand, rater than supply ?

What foods would you like the government to ban the import of, that British farmers would be happy to supply themselves?

 

[Kidds]

Supply has never been restricted for this last hundred years

My Mum remembers rationing of food and she isn't 100. I'd go so far as to suggest the farmers have had such a good time of things since WW2 due to a government response to restricted supply.