THE FIRST PART OF A LENGTHY PROJECT looking at Britain's Farming Industry.
Born of a discussion I had some months ago where I was advocating buying from local producers, farmers markets and so forth, not merely for environmental reasons although they are increasingly relevant, but because I contended that the produce is better for us; it is seasonal -Britons are not equipped to eat salads or strawberries in winter- and because it supports local farmers who've been under sustained attack from supermarket pricing policies for too many years now.
"But it's so much more expensive!" my friends complained. But it's not. It's supermarkets that are selling farm produce too cheap, frequently forcing the farmers to bear the brunt of the discounts.
The percentage of our income committed to sustenance is only a small percentage of what it was prior to the advent of the supermarket, even taking into account increases in standards of living and residual income. It just doesn't add up.
This led me to see that there is a common disconnection between the items we pull from the shelves and the people who work relentless hours -for diminishing returns- to ensure the produce is born or planted, nurtured and harvested or butchered so it can arrive at the supermarket and we can buy it, get another one for free, then throw a third of it away.
The project will cover many aspects of farming life and I hope it will eventually become a comprehensive overview of the industry as it passes into the second decade of the millenium.
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