Consumers force change on farmers

23 July 1997

Consumers force change on farmers

Consumer pressure is forcing many farmers to adopt methods which ensure food safety by making the production process more accountable and more transparent.

One of these schemes is a network called Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming) which promotes the use of natural predators and traditional crop rotations to cut down on pesticides and fertilisers. Membership has swollen in the last six months to 600, as many leading food manufacturers have asked their suppliers to adopt its approach.

It will be difficult for farmers to find markets for their products if they are not a member of this type of scheme in the future, according to industry experts.