Farmers still not connected

 NOT ENOUGH has been done to realise Sir Don Curry‘s more than two-years old vision of reconnecting farmers with consumers, says the Tenant Farmers Association.

The TFA argues that Sir Don was absolutely right to highlight the problem of disconnection between farmers and consumers in his 2002 report, but points out that little has been done to resolve the issue.

The organisation believes that vested interests, restrictive state aid rules and supermarket dominance are holding back progress.

TFA chief executive George Dunn said: “Farmers are pouring millions of pounds through levies into bodies like Home Grown Cereals Authority, Meat and Livestock Commission and Milk Dairy Council and now we have public funding for English Food and Farming Partnerships and the Food Chain Centre.”

“How much of this money is being spent on direct marketing to the consumer? Not enough is the answer. It is time for the farming organisations and levy bodies to agree on a new strategy for food marketing in this country,” said Mr Dunn.