Over lunch in the canteen, I asked our Head of Supply Chain, Dale, when the first new potatoes from Devon and Cornwall would be in your boxes. “July,” he said. I almost choked. What about potatoes from Jersey? “Oh yeah, those are doing OK – Jersey Royals are on sale now.” So why do we not have any from our growers on the UK mainland? Where’s Paul Badcock? “He quit. His farm sale was last month.” What about the Tuckers, what about the Trips, what about the Rogers? “They all quit.”
Family farms around the coasts of Devon, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, and Kent have been growing early potatoes, followed by winter cauliflowers, for generations. The warm sea air protects the crops from frost, and seaweed from the beaches below was traditionally used to fertilise the soil. But as imports from countries with warmer climates and lower wages became available, this once-prosperous rotation fell into decline. First the smallest, hand-and-horse cultivated, terraced fields were abandoned, and then those that could not accommodate the ever-growing machinery needed to compete at declining prices.
The year’s first Jersey Royal potatoes continue, against all odds, to be grown on ridiculously steep, machinery-defying slopes leading down to the cliffs. Many are still picked by hand, after using winch-drawn ploughs to expose the tubers. The industry’s survival depends on their price-preserving EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, with the first liftings selling for up to £10,000 per tonne.
Paul Badcock farmed on the ‘Golden Mile’ near Penzance – some of the most prized land in Cornwall, thanks to its early seasons. The last straw for him was not price, but the challenge of finding labour willing to cut cauliflowers in January mud and rain. The loss of experienced growers like Paul is compounded by the progressive loss of the skilled, hard-working Eastern Europeans who have been the backbone of our industry for three decades. This year, at Riverford, we lose our two stalwart Mariuses: one is returning to Lithuania to grow veg of his own, the other is switching to an easier life as an MOT inspector. Without a long-term workforce plan for UK farming, replacing the likes of Marius, Marius, and Paul will be near impossible. Seeing them leave our industry feels like turning the last page of a much-loved book.
Very though provoking & poignant.
Guy and other farmers – so sorry for the anxiety you all must be feeling in the UK, and elsewhere obvs, about the dire stare of much of your soil after the almost constantly wet winter/spring. You might get some attention when the public can’t find stuff in supermarkets, mebbe.
But while I’m empathising, could you explain why Riverford is sourcing fruit from Argentina? Baffles me how that is good for our climate.
horrifying and saddening.
What about National Service in farming? Would make a lot of sense as well as educate people about where their food comes from and the work involved in producing it.
Potato picking, carrot picking, hoeing and singling beet and carrots were all parts of my growing up, and most of us loved it. With sacks tied round our knees and getting thoroughly dirty, it was hard work but fun.
And as for potatoes, even the so-called Jersey potatoes in the supermarket don’t taste like they used to. I’ll get my taste of real NEW potatoes when I tip out those in a planter in the yard garden.
Reply to SuzanneRosemary: Of course, Suzanne, we could give up our independence, give up on “local” and “food miles”. And no doubt that would result in more money in my pocket. But I choose to champion the concept of local produce for local people. And I think many people nowadays would prefer to support that concept; and more people would not be happy to realise that their favourite box scheme was contributing to the demise of several local farms that the familiar vans drive past.
Should there be a limit to growth of corporations? Is it desirable to have just one or two big players in an industry? Along with our other ethical concerns should we not also include community cohesion which coalesces around the local pub, the local post office, the local farm?
Sure, we could sell our produce wholesale to other bigger companies, such as Riverford, but wholesaling reduces the price we would earn, and threatens our independence, and our choice to grow 40 or 50 different crops instead of maximising on just two or three.
It’s a very different business model to throw in with the big retailers, and I am surprised that thoughtful readers of Wicked Leeks don’t see the difficulties. Wholesaling and unlimited business growth have contributed to our corrupt food industry. The organic food movement in this country (and others) was started and developed by small independent farmers, one at a time, taling to their neighbours; and gradually the organic movement gained traction. 40 years ago we had some difficulty talking aboout “organic” spinach or eggs, and were often greeted with comments like “organic – – is that like mercury or something, that’s organic?” or “so, your vegetables are better because they’re grown in manure? That’s disgusting.” But we all hung on, and the overriding, winning factor was that organic growing back in the day meant local produce from a local farm. That was true when Guy first started on his journey.
As good as Riverford boxes are – – and I do salute the quality and the publicity and the newsy messages with right-on philosophy – – I think that the “local” message has real value for many, many people, and Riverford’s size, reach, and unlimited growth has contributed to that ethos being lost.
I’ve just re-read Guy’s piece entitled “Will the last one to leave please turn off the light?” I am quite a strong fan of Guy’s and Wicked Leeks, and I admire Riverford’s progress during the last four decades. All have done a remarkable job of furthering the “good” goals of organic farming. But I am not so sure about the “good” goal of “local”. Clearly Riverford and Guy started out local, and compared to the biggies in the agrifood industry they are still local; but compared to the scores of smaller organic growers up and down the south of England Riverford is now the biggie, to the detriment of much more local producers.
We have been farming organically for 45 years, always growing at least 45 different crops. We’ve had our good years financially but more often nowadays we have rather more not-so-good years; most of our income now comes from non-farming activities. Although I salute Riverford’s success it is discouraging to see the Riverford truck drive by our gate each week, on its way to serve some “local” customers that could be our box-scheme customers. Riverford is about 80 miles from here, and clearly the Riverford vans are now travelling well over 100 miles from home. What effect do you think that has on smaller more local growers?
In the article Guy laments the loss of experienced farmers in the industry. He recites the blight of one potato and cauliflower grower in Cornwall, whose last straw was the difficulty finding harvesting labour in January. How can we address that labour shortage? What effects do you think your national reach has on the smaller farms that do their best to serve local communities all along your far-flung routes? It seems to me you are contributing to the financial pressure that most small farms are experiencing. If you continue to grow, with more vans on the road covering more and more miles further from home, are you really living up to the “food miles” ideal? All those hundreds of much smaller farms along your routes are the training grounds for that labour force that Guy sees as disappearing.
Is there a danger that constant growth and geographic expansion inevitably undermines the “local” concept, which is one of the key concepts for sustainability, resilience, and community? Are we not concerned about the increasing mega-size of the big players in agrifood, so big they set standards and practices that others have to follow? Remember that J. Sainsbury and Tesco started out as one small but popular shop on the high street, and 50-75 years or so later ended up being giants who dominate the distribution of most of the food in this country, with all the negative attributes that have latterly come to light?
Is there room in today’s organic market for more than one Riverford-sized business? I doubt it. The rest of us smaller fish are struggling to put food on the table for tomorrow’s young organic farmers.
Replying to Richards at Radford. Your comment gave me much fuel for reflection. I wonder if those small & struggling farms around the country could join Riverford in a collective agreement, with each holding on to their own identity but sharing in Riverford’s experience & reach, as a large & very successful organic supplier. I’m sure, with common sense & thoughtfulness, it could be done, maintaining at the same time, care for employees & the general ethical standards that Riverford is known for.