A community owned farm in Shropshire has nominated “the public” for a Fair Deal Award. Fordhall Farm awarded the nomination to the public who buy directly from their farm shop or buy their produce at farmers markets because without them they could not as a small farm survive against the power of the big retailers and corporations that increasingly dominate the global food market.
Charlotte Hollins Tenant Farmer at Fordhall Farm explains “If we were selling to supermarkets we would not be here today, and that is the same story for almost every other small family farm. The only way to get a fair price for our produce is to cut out the middlemen, who gobble up our profits, and sell direct to the public.”
The Fair Deal Awards have been introduced by the Atwood Group to give producers and farmers like Fordhall Farm the opportunity to tell us who gives them the fairest deal for their produce. Localise West Midlands is supporting the Fair Deal Awards as it believes that fair trade is an issue in the West Midlands as well as abroad, because power imbalances in trade exist between big corporations and small producers and between countries. Barbara Panvel from Localise West Midlands said: ” If we do not start ensuring farmers in the UK a fair price we risk losing our food producing land and skills forever”.
By nominating the customers who buy from their farm shop, Fordhall Farm is giving us as consumers an important message; if you want to support fairly traded locally grown food in the West Midlands then buy direct – from farm shops or using the internet, box schemes and farmers markets.
Customers of Fordhall Farm believe that they also get a good deal from the Farm Shop. Not only do they get fresh produce, but there is no need to decipher supermarket labels and symbols to tell you how many miles the food has travelled, if its production has endangered the environment or exploited farm workers. At the farm you can put the money directly in the hands of the producer and see the farming conditions for yourself.
One of their regular shoppers explains why they enjoy shopping at the farm:
“I love buying direct from farmer Ben because I want to know where my meat has come from and how it is reared. I love speaking to Ben and Charlotte when I come to the shop and my daughter loves looking at the cows and pigs in the fields. It is a completely different experience to the sterile supermarkets.”
To find out how you can buy directly from the farms in the West Midlands visit: www.bigbarn.co.uk
To find out more about Fordhall Farm or shop online with them visit: www.fordhallfarm.com or go to their Open Day & Farmers Market on 16th March
If you would like to find out about other nominations, or if you are a farmer and would like to make a nomination please visit: www.localisewestmidlands.org.uk/fairdealawards
To find out more about the wider national movement calling for Fair Trade for British Farmers. (www.fairtradeforbritishfarmers.co.uk)