No fly, no cry at BaxterStorey
April's
unprecedented events brought bubbling to the surface much ash, seemingly endless cloud and in its wake, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano reignited the debate surrounding the UK’s dependency on non-British produce.
This ongoing discussion is one that seems to have fallen on deaf ears among those who govern the economic and regulatory environments in which our farmers operate but there can be no finer time for them to listen and act on what is needed.
Dependency for 40% of all foodstuffs from overseas makes no sense. Ours is a land rich with the ability to generate its own produce but sadly today, so desperately poor in infrastructure to yield the volumes we demand.
The arguments for local sourcing are myriad. The environmental benefits are well-documented and well understood, but others including the impact local produce makes on the delivery of a skilled, creative, motivated national chef brigade, its influence on managing the escalating issues attached to obesity and its ability to rejuvenate local communities, are cited less frequently but are equally important.
Nobody would claim that a total cessation of imported produce is the right way forward; it’s neither practical nor desired and it should not be forgotten that supporting other economies less fortunate than our own through this vital area of trade is one of the most positive routes we can take to assist their populations. However, our primary focus needs to be on our own doorstep.
Those retailers, caterers, restaurateurs or hoteliers who have made the move to buying British didn’t suffer the concern, short-lived as it was, experienced by peers whose supply chains often out of necessity rather than choice, take an altogether different structure. This surety of supply was the dividend reaped from our investment in British sourcing, but it is one that we should all be able to enjoy far more easily.
The no-fly week has delivered a timely and salutary lesson. Let’s hope that the weeks ahead deliver us with a Government which learns from these events and which truly commits to rebuilding the UK’s ability to rely more on produce from within its own shores.