Point Village Market: First weekend review

The first thing you notice about the new Point Village Market in Dublin's Docklands is its accessibility. Stepping off the train at Hueston, I jumped onto a Luas right outside the door, which took me directly to the market.

(pic: Clodagh McKenna at the new Point Village Market)

Walking in, the scale of the place is immediately impressive. There are four streets of stalls of appreciable variety and well chosen quality: far more recessionista than fleamarket. There's vintage records in great nick, jewelery, art, furniture, clothes, all looking dapper to boot.

Stalls have been setting aside for art and design students, and for house clear out/yard sales, creating a very current buzz about the place.

The smells, sights and sounds of a cornucopia of foods and drinks, from pies and curries to cup cakes and coffees, abound around. Clowns twist balloons for kids, while comedians regale the wanderers on an oversized speaking chair.

Further in, the Gig Rig off in the distance serenades and sways the shoppers with sweet soul music � Dublin's soul music festival is on here today, and there's German wheat beer on tap, popcorn and hot dogs.

I take a right, and the Pi�ce de r�sistance, the farmers' market. This is indeed impressive, with some of Ireland's most prominent farmers market stalwarts having made the trip. Indeed, stallholders at Midleton like Kevin Hillard from Just Food, Philip Little of the Little Apple Company, and Arun Kapul from Green Saffron's spices are all present..

They are briskly busy - Arun Kapul has to be the most implacably engaging trader in Ireland, never short of a way to converse and coax the customer in.

The cookery demo tent features celeb chefs both established and up and coming, from Clodagh McKenna to Donal Skehan.

There's plenty of primary staples, or what the Americans call pro-duce, like Offaly's Quarrymount meats, a slow food cheese stall, Ring of Kerry Lamb and the Dublin and Meath vegetable growers.

Truth be told, the start of day one, Saturday the 29th May, was a bit quiet, due to rain and a lunchtime launch. The Afternoon was certainly busier.

Day two, Sunday 30th started at a yawningly slow pace, as Sunday's often do. However, by the afternoon this was perhaps the busiest market Ireland has even seen, with estimates of up to 11,000 wandering through. It certainly seemed Electric Picnic or Grafton Street busy at times.

The Sunday saw even more frilly extras, with crazy golf, kids bungee, and a second stage accompanying the Carosel and other vintage fun fair rides.

I spoke to nearly all of the stallholders at the farmer's market. Those with pret a manger foods were very happy, those with food to take home and cook were optimistic: hopeful that people would have a look and soon start to bring shopping bags to do their proper week's purchasing.

Thus far, this is a glorious place to wander around, with an awful lot of attractions and distractions. Most attendees seem to be under 40 and plenty have young kids.

This 'civic space' is the brianchild of Harry Crosbie, and it is a core part of the rejuvenation of Dublin's docklands.

"I believe this market will follow on from the success we've had with the 02 music venue and be a part of Dubliners' lives like the Dandelion Market. I used to hang out there when I was a hippie," said Crosbie last week.

A delay in planning has held back some of the more grand elements for now. These include a 40 foot outdoor cinema screen and a permanent outdoor stage.

Other attractions due include a 60 metre big wheel, outdoor yoga, art workshops, graffiti walls, fashion shows, and urban dance/sport demonstrations like Capoeira and skateboarding.

I spoke to one of the organisers of the farmers' market area, John Collery, about this civic space notion. �Its a place for Dubliners to come and socialise, to buy some produce, to learn how to cook some meals, to just bring their kids and have a day out really� he tells me: �to bring a bit of vibrancy back into the city.�

I put it to John Collery, who with his colleague Gareth Granville is also involved in Cork's Mahon Point and Limerick's Crescent Shopping Centres' farmers' markets, that there is something distinct about this Point Village Market:

Unlike other markets, shopping centers and indeed many modern urban spaces, while there is the opportunity to engage in a financial transaction here, there is not the compulsion.

As Tommy Tiernan once put it; try just hanging around in a bank for half an hour, and see how far you get.

�There is no compulsion to spend whatsoever really� according to Collery, warming to the implication. �Look at the layout of the place � the demonstrations are free, the music is free, there's kid's rides, tasters of food. And you can meet your local producer, and some of the best producers from across the country really. You can have a day out here.�

He emphasises the fact that the farmers' market will be specifically about foods to take home and cook: �We want to take back that idea of a farmers' market as somewhere the farmer comes to sell produce�.

�We do have some food to go elements here at the farmers market end� he goes on. �For example, we have Goldriver farm from Wicklow, doing a spit roast pig, and selling their organic vegetables. All of the ingredients that go with the spit roast come from the produce available here. So your apple sauce will come from Holligans in Ballyderrin, your bread from the Pretzel bakery here in Dublin, the leaves from Goldriver itself� he says, pointing out the stalls one by one.

Sure enough, later in the day, I catch a cookery demo from Ballyderrin's Pam Holligan, who is waxing lyrical about the quality of the Dublin Meath growers' fresh basil and salad leaves that she's used for a dish. And that, I suppose, is the point.

CLONMEL FARMERS' MARKET: QUALITY, VALUE AND REVERSING DONUTIFICATION

�You just can't get stuff this fresh � it was picked this morning�, so says Siobhan, a salt of the earth middle aged shopper at Clonmel's farmers' market. A massive self-serve bag of salad leaves, complete with nasturtium's for colour and spice, for 3 euros. This leafy vibrant bag is a million miles from the supermarket option: jaded bags puffed out with inert gas and binned 45% of the time, according to research.

She picks up a bottle of Happy Heart Organic Rapeseed Oil, the only other product on sale at the stall. This oil, winner in the sustainability category at the recent Bord Bia national organic awards, comes from Drumeen farm in Kilkenny.

Drumeen is one of Ireland's pioneering organic farms run by the Colchester family. It dates back to the mid 1970s, and the second generation is now branching out into what is an incredible tasting oil. Kitty Colchester's boyfriend Joe Moore runs the stall. �Its grown, pressed and bottled on the farm� he tells me proudly.

In fact, this oil is pressed every week, making it just about the freshest of all oils available in Ireland. And a snip at E6 for a half litre, such is its quality.

The market is busy from the get go, with a constant trail of people arriving, the occasional one by bike. Despite the intermittent rain, people stay to shop. When the rain eases off, they start to sit at the tables and chairs, taking in the atmosphere.

Jurgen the gourmet coffee man seems to have a permanent buzz around him. His Fair Trade americano is E1.70, which is a great price for what is a very well made gourmet coffee.

Joe Condon's organic Galloway steakburgers burgers have sold out since noon.

�I haven't seen a drop off in sales at all with the recession� he tells me; �my customers are buying more burgers than they used to, and less steak, but I sell out every week. I get a lot of people who used to go to restaurants to eat out once or twice a week. Now, they're eating organic meat at home�.

Condon's 4 pack of organic burgers retail at E6.50, which Conor Pope gave the top grade to in his pricewatch column. Its easy to see why: Condon has samples the day I visit, and the burgers seem to get bigger rather than smaller when cooked on the BBQ. �The meats' hung for 3 weeks, so it looses weight but develops flavour that way. You won't see a puddle of water run off when you cook them. People appreciate that�.

Because of this, it is difficult to even compare like with like, when comparing what you get at a farmers' market to a supermarket: �A big processor just wouldn't bother to go to the trouble I go to: it wouldn't be economical for them. It is for me because I direct sell�according to Condon.

Like everything else in Ireland, farmers' markets are feeling a pinch. Some smaller, peripheral markets have closed or struggle on. However, the bigger ones, such as Dun Laoire or Mahon Point, are doing exceptionally well. There are also incredible waiting lists for stalls, as newly unemployed people look for alternative ways to make money.

I asked a few of the shoppers why they went to the trouble of the farmers' market: was it, for example, health or the environment?

�I don't see a separation really� was the overwhelming response. For most shoppers I spoke to that day, these issues were one and the same; healthy soil, healthy planet, healthy body.

Others also pointed to the fact that actually meeting the person who produced the food was vital � �I can trust what I'm putting in my body if I can look in the eye the person who grew it� as one woman said to me.

Others again pointed to the conviviality of the place; �shopping as it should be�, as one twenty something on a bike joked, playing on the popular Supervalu supermarket slogan.

Bernie Lennon, local Green Party councilor, was instrumental in setting up this market. �We were worried that, like so many towns, Clonmel would turn into a donut�. I pressed him on this Homer Simpsonesque image: �empty in the middle, with a ring of development around it�.

But now, thanks in part to the Saturday farmers' market, the donutification of Clonmel is being challenged: in fact, the donuts at the two bakery stalls are playing their own small part in revitalisating the town centre, the producers and the consumers in this part of Ireland.

The most local local food event ever

�We boiled the sea water to make salt�. So says Sinead Ni Ghairbhith, organiser of the second annual Clare Harvest Banquet.

That's when I knew that this was in fact the most local local food event I'd ever been to.

The Banquet is a fundraiser for a street children's charity in Mongolia, Astral. Almost 300 are in attendance, and the mood is mighty, with a host of local performers complementing the food.

(pic: a chef, a farmer and a consumer at a Dungarvan farmers' market: says it all really. Copyright Oliver Moore)

Ireland's only Tibetan Lama and even Duncan Stewart himself are here: the latter is making a programme about food and the environment, the former a friend of Ni Ghairbhith.

Indeed the Tibetan and Mongolian dimensions really reveal how positively 'glocal' the whole show is: a local event aware of the globe in all its positive and negative nuances.

The event also acts as something of an agri-food experiment. The aim is to have a completely local event, where all, literally all, the ingredients come from the county of Clare.

Its as if Clare is a blockaded island during a war. Unlike frugal but clever wartime rationing, like boiling the egg in your kettle on the range while making a cup of tea, the aim is to actually have a brilliant banquet. So this is a glorious, spectacular celebration of the resourcefulness and ingenuity and, most of all, of the food of the county.

Even all the unusual frilly extras are local. Like the six local fruits, including pears and grapes. Or the chilli, corriander, and corn on the cob, from the farmers' markets' of Clare.

Local organic fruit and veg growers and suppliers Goerg and Angelika Schleiser produce what is amongst the best veg in the country: up there with Cork's Ultan Quinn. At home, both my nine year old son and my 60+ father can spot their carrots a mile off by their taste and appearance respectively.

Ann Nolan and Clare Linanne from Burren vegetables are also providing great vegetables, as well as oats.

Eva Hegarthy from Kilfinora, who sells at Kilaloe and Ennis farmers' markets, has provided the smoked pork belly.

Clare is especially lucky to have Killaloe's Wines of the Glen, who's gooseberry, elderflower and apple and elderberry wines are a perfect replacement for imported grape based wines. The elderberry is remarkably like a Beaujolais.

Excellent cheeses abound: They include Sinead's sister Siobhan's St.Tolas raw organic goat's cheese, from Inagh. Michael and Lucy Hayes's Mount Callan is another raw milk's cheese featured, this time from a herd of Montbelliard cows.

The Ice Cream, in one of the largest ice cream bowls I've ever seen, comes from Bridget and Rodger Fahy's Linalla in the Burren. Their herd of shorthorn cattle provide exceptional and creamy milk: when its this good, I always go for the vanilla.

A key trick seems to be smoking and storage. Smoking and proper storage means many foods, from fish to apples to spuds, can be eaten out of season in Ireland.

Peter and Brigitta Curtin's Burrensmokehouse in Listoonvarna is renowned for the quality of their salmon and mackrel, smoked in their 5.5 tonne cavernous steel smokehouse beneath their eatery.

Ni Ghairbhith also pointed out that the Irish Seed Savers gave both great apples and great advice on storage. �They have the largest collection of self-rooting apple trees in the world� she tells me. They also have 140 different types of Irish native varieties, making it a great place to source a tree or two.

How did it all taste? In a word, spectacular. Much of the produce was either donated or cost price, and the good vibes must have entered the food by osmosis.

While the effort gone to was a special effort for a special occasion, this event nonetheless acts like a microcosm of what could be done to relocalise food in Ireland. Or, at least, what could be done if Ireland 'the food island' is to reduce food imports. Each year we export nearly E9 billion, but import E6 billion.

The dairy sector, incredibly, is actually an area with serious import substitution potential. We import about E900 million of dairy products into Ireland each year. For every four euros of diary exports Ireland makes, it imports one euro back in.

While for a tiny minority of these imports, a case can probably be made - for example with unusual artisan cheeses - in the majority of cases with dairy one commodity replaces another.

So, while being almost 1000% self sufficient in a commodity like butter, we also import butter. This food product literally passes itself on shipping lanes, coming in and coming out, like shift workers duplicating work.

There are some mitigating circumstances: some of these imports are for the agri-food processing sector, or of products not available or producible here.

However, consumers have a responsibility too: the consumer can and regularly does change consumption patters over time.

For example, there is a growing market for 100% grass fed beef. This would reduce our cereal imports, as well as the carbon footprint of our meat and dairy sectors.

The desire is there: According to Bord Bia research, seven out of ten shoppers want to buy local � and that research was conducted before the recession, when the national economic benefits have become all the clearer in supporting local and Irish. Even then, 93% of those that buy local do so because they want to support the local economy. 58% of supermarket consumers buy local food there.

Growth rates for farmers' markets continue to rise; there are over 150 listed by Bord Bia now. Certainly, while smaller rural markets may occasionally struggle, markets serving a bigger catchment area are thriving.

When I spoke to the department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food about imports and self sufficiency, they informed me that �there would be capacity for import substitution in areas such as pigmeat, poultry, certain dairy products, certain cereals, vegetables and potatoes�.

Not before time, the agri-food sector in Ireland has begun to get its act together to promote Irish food, with the 'Love Irish Food' campaign. Agri-Aware has also gotten in on the act, recruiting high profile economist Jim Power and pointing out that one in seven jobs in Ireland depend on the agri-food sector. Crucially, agri-food has proven itself to be less prone to the recession than other sectors in the economy.

Organic Delights: Healy and Son's organic fruits and vegetables

Looks like REPS 4 is being pulled: no more future applicants. Buried deep in a story about agri-enviromental funding. That's a big one that will cause quite a stir.

NB: close of business TODAY (9th) is what the above press release says at the bottom of the page, NOT tomorrow as Farmers' Journal's back page claims today. Tell your REPS planner!)

In the meantime, here's a feature on the Healy's Organic Delights organic fruit and vegetable farm and business in Wicklow.
(Pic: Duncan Healy with a classic afro)

The Healy name has been involved in organic farming in Ireland since the 1980s. Today Dennis has been joined by his son Duncan in managing the impressive Organic Delights farm and business.

The Healy's have a sixty acre farm in south east Wicklow, half of which is dedicated exclusively to growing some 150 varieties of vegetables, salad leaves and fruits. Some of these are planted up to 10 times in the year. The rest of the land is devoted to wildlife and nature, with forestry and ponds providing habitats for all kinds of everything.

�We are doing fifteen markets at the moment, along with occasional one-offs� Duncan tells me. Their stalls are impressive set ups, with up to 90 fruits and vegetables on display at some of the bigger ones, such as Lepoardstown market on Dublin's south side.

Inevitably, this means that, despite the size of the farm in Wicklow, the majority of the produce sold is imported.

That said, food miles and also more general energy and Carbon footprint considerations also come into Duncan Healy's thinking: �We aim for Irish first and as close as possible to Ireland after that�.

However, he does also take into account the energy intensiveness of southern vs northern European production.

Southern production is less intensive and occurs more in the outdoors, despite being slightly further away. This is better for the environment, but also:

�Without the natural light, the Dutch stuff can sometimes taste inferior. Italian and Spanish tomatoes, peppers and the like can often be better. But we also want to extend our own production too�.

I asked Duncan Healy if he had noticed a change with the recession. Many stallholders are reporting a return to staples in consumer trends, with luxuries being replaced by necessities.

Interestingly, he has not noticed this trend: �we've found the opposite in fact. New potatoes, figs, cherries, apricots they are all going really well� the afro-haired Healy tells me.

Healy is obsessive on quality, which helps. In any case, there is simply no supermarket availability of many of the quirkier organic options amongst the array on display at one of his stalls.

That said �We have some sworn supermarket avoidists shopping with us� he smiles.

Also, fruits, vegetables and leaves are all pretty much in the staple category.

With horror stories circulating about the supermarket demands for price reductions from organic farmers, Duncan Healy is relieved not to have gone down that route.

He has a few scare stories of his own:

�I do know an organic carrot grower who had a contract, but the carrots didn't look right, he was told. So he ploughed 20 acres of good carrots back into ground, and the supermarket went for the Scottish option instead�.

One new trend with the recession is a plethora of new markets. Even the north side of Dublin is getting them:

�In the last 6 months, a load of new markets have tried to start. Last Saturday and last Sunday saw new markets in Phibsboro. There are also new markets in Glasnevin and on Baggot Street�.

Healy is annoyed by shoddy chancers, and overall welcomes the new best practice flag scheme the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (DAFF) is spearheading for Farmers' Markets.

�There are a lot of guys coming down from the north selling imported produce that's clearly in season in Ireland. Others sometimes find an easy way to source abroad and stop with the local supply�.

�You need to adapt and be adaptable. This year people are hoovering up plants at markets�

I asked him whether all of this grow your own malarkey was a threat to commercial growers:

�Not at all� he informs me: �people who grow their own appreciate what it should taste like. They can't go back to tasteless supermarket tomatoes after that�.

Are farmers' markets recession-proof?

Despite the recession, and indeed despite the cliches about people's economic behaviour during a recession, farmers markets are booming.

(Pic of dungarvan farmers' market, which is on every Thursday)

According to Stephenie Moe of Bord Bia �we had 135 on our books by mid 2008, we now have 149. Certainly there are slightly more opening a than closing� she tells me. �Anecdotally, the feedback from traders and orgnaisers is very positive. There is competition for traders stalls, which indicates that they are making money. A lot of producers are getting in touch.�

Organisers themselves agree: �we are creating a new market a month at the moment. There is more demand than there was during the boom� according to Sean McArdle, who runs farmers' markets in Dublin and elsewhere, mostly on the east coast of Ireland.

McArdle points out that he is being offered more sites than in previous years: �Of course, access to space may also be a sign of the recession� he suggests, in reference to closed premises, incomplete sites and other signifiers of post Celtic Tiger Ireland.

Jackie Spillane of the county council run CoCo markets agrees: �Buoyant is probably the word that best describes how the markets are doing. Several stallholders report increased sales, some report steady, and really it is only a small number who are feeling a general tightening. We're getting thousands of people at the markets.�

Spillane points out that the Dun Laoire local authorities have been extremely supportive, even down to locating and timetabling public events to coincide with the market. �Several local shops also now open on a Sunday because of the market�

There are now 45 stalls at the People's Park in Dun Laoire, with people travelling from as far as Cork with their own farmhouse cheeses. According to Spillane, about 1/3 of the traders are farmers at Dun Laoire.

In Cork, markets in urban centers are also doing well. Rupert Hugh Jones of Manon Point market: �The number of stallholders looking for stalls is absolutely crazy. We're getting 3-4 applications per day. We now have 50 stalls, and 300 on a waiting list. Customer numbers have increased with the stalls.�

All however point out that the recession is probably a cause of the increased interest in stalls:

�I've been inundated with applications from new vendors. Many are inexperienced, and may have lost jobs recently. We have 30 applications for cup cake stalls. Now, there's a place for good cup cakes, but its tricky to make a living from them. You need to be more innovative� according to Spillane.

Adapting to new consumer needs is important. Overall, it seems that people are eating out less, but are returning to quality home cooking. This benefits those selling staples in particular.

According to Tipperary farmer Joe Condon , who sells at Dungarvan farmers' market each Thursday: � my burgers are proving to be the real winner. It serves the purpose, it stands in in a meal instead of a steak�. Likewise Condon's mince is selling well.

However, he also points out that both his mince and burgers are made to a high standard:

�I provide a a democratic cross section of the animal. We make them from quality cuts, not off cuts, so the quality and flavour comes through.� Add to this the certified organic and grass fed upland Galloway dimension, and its clear that the consumer is getting a cut above the ordinary.

Stephen Baker of Listowel market has also adapted. He now sells hot dogs. However, these are no ordinary hot dogs, as the meat comes from Caroline Rigney's award winning rare breed pigs in West Limerick.

Another new development, in many ways connected to the recession, is the provision of space for produce from allotments and community gardens. Even Sean McArdle's privately run markets in and around Dublin, known for their significantly higher rents for stallholders, have integrated this into their set up.

It's not all kisses and handshakes however. Peri-urban markets are feeling the pinch. �I had to close both Bray and Wicklow recently�, Jackie Spillane tells me. Major job losses in the construction industry in satellite towns, coupled with small numbers of stallholders at the markets were cited by Spillane as the main reasons for this.

Indifferent or even belligerent local authorities are also causing problems: Due to the success of the Midelton Saturday and indeed other markets in the region, as well as numerous stallholders wanting a piece of the action, a Tuesday market has recently been established in Midelton.

However, according to Rupert Hugh Jones, � the town council wouldn't accommodate us, we've been hounded by them. They are trying to shut us down in every possible way. So we're on private land�.

Interest remains strong, however: �Within 5 days we had too many applications. So we prioritize local stallholders. Over 90% of the stallholders are locals in Midelton. The feedback has been great so far�.

Minister of State Trevor Sargent recently announced a new scheme for farmers' markets.

The 'Good Practice Standard' will be denoted by a Flag, which participating markets may display and which the Minister unveiled in the Food Market at BLOOM 2009.

According to the Department �Farmers' Markets signing up to the Good Practice Standard will under take to hold markets regularly; to source a substantial proportion, ideally 50%, of local produce from the county or neighbouring counties; to accommodate seasonal and local garden/allotment produce and to comply with food safety/labelling rules and criteria on good governance�.

When queried about this, most stallholders had not actually heard of it. While most I asked about it were cautiously positive, private market organiser Sean McArdle was initially very skeptical.

�It sounds impossible to do, they'll have no one. There is no grower in north county Dublin who could supply markets. There are a few heavily contracted to supermarkets. The last flower grower is struggling.�

He goes on: �North county Dublin has grazing land, we don't have the rich alluvial soils needed for for growing vegetables. We also don't have the tradition.�

�The real problem is that there is an idea that in a market, a farmer comes in in a tractor, puts down 10 bags of spuds and sells them with straw in his month. That Victorian image isn't there in reality. Growing is difficult, and it comes down to scale.�

All of that said �I would welcome a local grower in wholeheartedly. Any one producing from the land within a five mile radius comes in at half price already at my markets�.

However, even McArdle started to warm to the flag idea when he heard about the details. The aspirational and vague language, with words like 'ideally', 'substantial portion' and 'adjoining', along with achievable 50% local target meant that, in his opinion, his markets were in that ball park anyway.

Others, such as Jackie Spillane of the CoCo markets, were more positive: �We'll certainly be applying. 50% is achievable, it could have been higher, but this is a reasonable set of goals for the pilot phase�

ENNIS FARMERS' MARKET HINDERED BY TOWN COUNCIL

This weekend, the supposodly French Market is in town. So plenty of overpriced sugary gak for the nippers, plenty of plastic toys, and a few nice jumpers from Peru. Well it is the french market after all!

They've had all their signs up, they will have plenty of cooperation from the council- they will even have the site upon which the farmers' market usually sits. Who knows - maybe they will even have electricity provided.

Nothing like this sort of treatment exists for the Ennis farmers' market, the weekly market on each Friday...

(pic: me winning a hamper in a draw last year at the Ennis farmers market!)

Dave Smith is a cheese monger who sells cheeses exclusively from Clare and adjoining counties at Ennis Farmers' Market. He is also chair of the market. While there are now over 20 stallholders and business is solid, the market is being impacted negatively by Ennis Town Council, according to Smith:

�We've been asking for some basic facilities for years, but we're just banging our heads against a brick wall when it comes to the town council�.

Hot water, electricity, the space they trade in and advertizing are four key areas Smith claims the council have hindered the development of the market.

�Every one of these has been a no go� according to Smith. Smith points out that there is an electricity point located exactly where the market is, which is used for the Christmas lights. However, the council have refused to allow the market to use this. �The most frustrating thing is that at another market I sell at, in this county, the council go out of their way to provide electricity�.

This then leaves stallholders in the awkward situation of considering generators: �They are smelly, noisy, bad for the environment, but if we want electricity, that's what we have to do.�

�We have been asking for years for a source of hot water� Smith continues. �This would be really helpful for hygiene reasons, but up until last year, we're been stonewalled. When we came back in spring, a completely inappropriate cold water tap had been put in nearby, without any consultation with us. Its OK for people wanting to water plants, but those of us wanting hot water, its no use at all�.

An irony here is that stallholders and hassled on health and safety grounds to have hot water.

Smith also pointed out that the market had been fined for roadside signs whereas other markets across the country and indeed county have not, and indeed have been supported in their use of roadside signs.

�They charge us a rent for using the car park space we're in, but won't even put up a sign the night before the market saying 'no overnight parking'. It can be a nightmare on Friday mornings, we just don't know what vehicles will be here.�

�They've cited bylaws, and their written conditions for us using the car park are that we can't stop anybody using it. And yet, the trading bylaws also say that we can't be hindered in pursuit of our business. So there's a conflict between the bylaws between parking and trading rights. As usual, there has been zero response to the letter to the council on this�.

Zero response is also what I got when I asked Ennis Town Council for a representative to interview about the farmers' market.

Soil Association report for the organic market in the UK:

Pic: Jason Horner, organic veg seller at Ennis Farmers' Market

The UK's largest organic certification body, the Soil Association (SA), has just published a report on the market for organics. The news is mixed for the overall organic sector, and in some ways, bad for the UK organic farmer.

The situation in Ireland is different to the UK, with the market here remaining stronger. However the UK remains an export location for Irish organic produce. Along with the market itself suffering, the euro sterling differential is compounding the difficulties for Irish organic exports to the UK.

The UK organic market is worth over �2.1 billion annually. Diary is the biggest organic category (29.5%) followed closely by fresh fruit and vegetables (26.2%).

Growth in 2008 in the SA report was at 1.8%. This represented growth in three quarters, and decline in the final 08 quarter. Compared to 11% growth in Ireland in January 2009, the difference in the figures is significant.

The fairly neutral finding of a 1.8% increase disguises the fact that different categories showed sharper variations.

Sales of organic milk, cheese, meat and poultry grew by 10.6%, 11.5%, 13.3% and 17.7% in 2008. Convenience foods and confectionery fell, by 5.9% and 21% respectively. In part this reflects both cutting back and 'back to basics': sales of organic cooking ingredients were up a considerable 13.5%.

The two biggest growth areas for organic in the UK offer little opportunities for Irish farmers.

Certified organic textiles hit the �100 million mark, with organic cotton sales increasing by a full 40%. The organic health and beauty category rose by 69%. This was, however, partly due to consolidation of the certification and labelling regulations as much as an increase in sales: i.e. consumers were buying what they considered to be organic products previously anyway.

There are more signals of changes in what people eat. As reported by Ray Ryan last week for food in general in Ireland, cheaper cuts of meat are also in for organic in the UK. Worryingly, both fruit and vegetables sales were down. Some consumers are also switching to canned or frozen organic vegetables in place of fresh.

The location of purchase has also changed. This reflects both price and other considerations. ASDA, who spoke about their organic sales growth at a conference in Waterford last year, report growth of 25%. ASDA thus increased its share of the market from 8% to around 10%. Another low price multiple retailer, Morrisons, also reported growth in organic sales.

This reflects both increased organic purchasing by a broader socio-economic range of people and people from higher socio-economic groups changing where they shop.
Supermarkets that traditionally attract wealthier consumers have suffered: Tesco, Waitrose, Marks and Spencers and Sainsburys all reported losses in their organic sales.

In the analysis of the report, the SA point out that organic fruit and vegetables, Tescos largest organic area, have begun to pick up again in their stores.

The Co-op achieved double-digit percentage growth, increasing sales by 15%. This is a slightly unusual retail outlet in the UK. It is a consumer co-op with over 2200 stores, and recently took over the Somerfield supermarket chain.

While non multiple outlets (health food stores, box schemes etc) only reported 1.4% growth, farmers' markets were the exception. Growth in this route in the UK was high, at 18.6% to �23.7 million.

All told, for non multiple retailers, Around �11 million is now spent on organic products through independent retailers every week, or �568 million. This compares to �1.54 million through the multiples.

The report also calls for an improvement in the way the organic movement coveys its messages: a perhaps unexpected example of an underreported fact is the following: organic fruit and veg from box schemes are consistently cheaper than those in supermarkets.

In many ways, the strongest signal from this report from an Irish organic farming perspective point to the need for new markets in mainland Europe. In many EU countries the market remains strong or indeed continues to grow.

To access the report, click here

Farmers' Markets: to Regulate or Incentivise?

For a variety of reasons, organic farmers and growers have always been interested in farmers� markets. While they may be of no substantial interest to the biggest of commercial producers, many of the smaller food producers like them for a variety of reasons.

Organics has always been about the consumer getting to know more about the product, and farmers� markets are a good vehicle to do this.

Along with the rise in farmers� markets, the rise in cynicism about these markets has occurred. Dublin-based, or perhaps Dublin obsessed commentators seem fixated with the price of food at farmers� markets, as if they are all held in Brooklodge, or south county Dublin.

In reality, many farmers� markets are better value for what you get than many of the alternatives. I know this because I shop at a few rural ones regularly, and I�ve studied them as an academic for five or so years. This involved visiting dozens all over Ireland.

But people are funny about the price of food. Especially people who don�t often frequent places like farmers� markets.

Here�s a few lines from the excellent Omnivore�s Dilemma book by Michael Pollan, in which the now iconic Joel Salatin talks about the price and the value of the food in his farm shop:

�When someone drives up to the farm in a BMW and asks me why our eggs cost more, well, first I try not to get mad. Frankly, any city person who doesn�t think I deserve a white-collar salary as a farmer doesn�t deserve my special food. Let them eat E Coli. But I don�t say that. Instead, I take him outside and point at his car: �Sir, you clearly understand quality and are willing to pay for it. Well, food is no different: you get what you pay for��.

This is not to say that there aren�t issues facing local food. These issues can boil down to distance and disconnection.

Consumers come looking for local, naturally produced food. And often they get it. However this level of personal attention can be time consuming for producers: there are issues of scale for producers to stand at every stall their produce is on. This balance between integrity and viability, between actually providing local food and having a range of varied products people might want to buy, is key.

Of course, there are buffers against the stallholders and the produce itself coming from further and further a field - many farmers� markets manage to avoid an excess of distance and disconnection.

Nonetheless, there are sometimes frustrations at the difference between the wording, and the impression of local food and the reality people sometimes experience, particularly in or near Dublin.

With this in mind, some promising steps have been taken by Junior Minister Trevor Sargent to address the standards to which farmers� markets operate.

While there is a consultation process underway, involving a number of Departments and stakeholders, its clear what the Minister himself prefers: �I�m very focused on providing incentives first and foremost. I recognise that there is a need for regulations, for example from a health and safety point of view, but some of those are already in place. I�m hoping to encourage an accreditation system which would be an incentive for farmers� markets to, as it were, �tick the boxes��not unlike the systems in place on beaches or for the green flag schools.�

And while the specifics are to be hammered out through the consultation process, it is clear that the Minister wants �to encourage rather than to regulate.�

This must chime pleasantly with those wary of over-regulation, or wary of too strict an interpretation of the dictates on locale stifling the markets� growth potential.

seasonal strawberries and the all-Ireland farmers' market competition

this weekend, the inaugural All-Ireland Farmers' Market Competition is on. For more on it, go to this new enviro blog I'm involved in. You could also download a form to enter, even at this late stage, here. (Scroll down a wee bit!)

Finally, why not try to get down to the south east this weekend for a foodie fest in Strawberry country?

Here's an article on seasonal organic strawberries in Ireland to whet your appetite
Even the most perfect of products seems to become more perfect when you add the word organic to the title. Champagne is fine but organic champagne is finer. For better and worse, organic just adds that touch of class, in both senses of the word. The same goes for strawberries.

Each year, in Wimbledon, 28,000 kilos of strawberries, and 7000 litres of cream are consumed. But which would you rather sir: the organic or the conventional?

Even on the Galway route out of Sligo at the moment, there are little huts on the side of the road selling strawberries from Wexford. But if you want Irish organic strawberries, you have to go right down to the sunny south east.

But if you want Irish organic strawberries, you have to go right down to the south.
Growers like Billy Clifford, Paul van Bree and Tony Miller in Cork and Kerry produce strawberries, as does Grace Maher in Carlow and the Organic Centre in Wexford.

The Centre, which specialises in training people in commercial horticulture, sells at all four farmers' markets in the county: Wexford on Fridays and Enniscorthy, New Ross and Gorey on Saturdays

There can�t be a more perfect product at the moment: local, seasonal and organic: for those of us in the rest of the country, we�re trying to choose between imported organic, often from as far a field as the US, and Irish conventional.

I spoke to Pat Roache of the Organic Centre Wexford about their strawberries.

They grow Elsanta, Cambridge Vigour and Cambridge Favourite. Elsanta is the typical, big, juicy early strawberry, one that can easily compete with the best of the conventional in terms of aesthetics and flavour.

For those with a more refined palate, and an interest in heritage, the two Cambridge strawberries are popular. Vigour has a touch of bitterness, less uniformity in shape and size, while favourite is very sweet and small.

�The Cambridge seem to stand up well to the wet: they don�t seem to suffer from mildew as much�. Last �Summer�, Pat and his colleagues got plenty of opportunity to test this hypothesis out.

�We grow just under � acre of strawberries at the moment, which we sell through our shop and at the markets in the county. Technically, the strawberries are grown on the in-conversion part of our site, so they are not officially organic as of yet. Obviously in-conversion means that the farming practices are organic, and we�ll soon have that section full certified too�.

Wexford farmers� market shoppers don�t know how lucky they are. The strawberries actually retail for the same price as their conventional counterparts: �10 for a kilo and �5 for 500 grams.

The Centre is primarily a training centre for those interested in commercial organic horticulture - they offer 8 FETAC level 5 courses. On their 34 acre site, they grow 20 varieties of vegetables and have four large and one smaller polytunnel.

Two exciting upcoming events are looming large on Pat�s radar. At the end of the month, there is the inaugural all-Ireland farmers� market competition. This will be held on 28th and 29th June, and carries �5000 prize money. The event will be held in Enniscorthy as part of the annual Enniscorthy Strawberry Fair.

The other is the Irish Terra Madre, the biggest Slow Food event ever to be held in Ireland. This falls on the 4th-7th September.

Finally, if you fancy learning more, don�t forget that the Wexford Organic Centre is also a Teagasc demonstration farm: their open day falls on Friday the 19th September at 6pm, when horticulture and field-scale vegetables will be the focus.

And in the meantime, if you are on your way to Rosslare to catch a boat, or on your way back from a trip away, why not drop in to the farm shop for a punnet of those classy strawberries?

To contact the Organic Centre Wexford, call 051-428375 or visit www.wexfordpartnership.ie and click on the Organic centre link on the left.

so, what is a farmers' market then?

you have to see this to believe it.....blatant!

farmers' market conference report 2007

FARMERS� MARKET CONFERENCE: FOOD FAD OR FOOD FUTURE?

Report by: Oliver Moore, Irish Examiner, Sligo I.T., Greenbox (http://olivermoore.blogspot.com)

(note: a word version of this report is available here

at the rural food company training network's site)

This one day, all Ireland farmers� market conference was held in the Radisson SAS hotel Athlone on Monday the 2nd July. It was organised by the Rural Food Company Training Network, the Western Organic Network in association with Comhar LEADER na hEireann - the Irish LEADER Network and supported by Atlantic Organics. The event itself was very well attended, having booked out well in advance. Along with the conference itself, there were some excellent stalls of interest to delegates ranging from specialist food producers, equipment and seeds to food development and training.

Opening Addresses:

John Bowman (Questions and Answers, RTE), who chaired the conference, opened proceedings. He suggested that the conference agenda was very important. It was about putting resources and wealth back into the countryside, about healthy food and about the health and survival of rural Ireland. In that context, he felt that it was very appropriate that Minister Eamonn O� C�iv, from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was opening the event.

Minister O� C�iv (Department of Ccommunity, Rural and Gaelteacht affairs) began an upbeat event in upbeat fashion, aptly starting as Gaeilge. The importance of farmers� markets to development and sustainability in rural Ireland was the topic broached in the native tongue. The minister then switched to English and the new governmental arrangement: he was happy that his new ministerial colleague, Trevor Sargent, minister of state for food and horticulture, would also be attending. Likewise, he looked forward to working with Minister Sargent. Being from the west, he pointed out that Galway market was one of the few to survive from his childhood. He was delighted to see some of the pioneers who spearheaded the drive towards farmers� markets in attendance, including Darina Allen. He also saw growth potential in the sector, which he claimed was a �niche rather than small� sector.

Isobel Fletcher (small food business co-ordinator, Cle � the Irish LEADER network) followed on from the Minister. Isobel spoke of the agri-food sector: While the figures suggest that agriculture is less prominent than in the past, the agri-food sector maintained its importance, both for exports and employment. She also addressed other issues: the need for diversification and the opportunity farmers� markets provide; farmers� markets and the importance of values to consumers; the opportunity for new migrants to contribute; the importance of presentation and traceability; food miles and finally tourist desires for authentic local foods. The need for safe food at farmers� markets got a special mention, both as a necessity and a topic that needed to be broached with discernment.

Minister O C�iv returned to the podium to make two final points. He dealt with the local context farmers� markets find themselves in. Good planning and local authority buy-in were important. The Cl�r programme was established to help with the latter, and he was disappointed to see some resistance from local authorities. The need for protocols to insure the local provenance of the foods and the producers was emphasised, otherwise local shopkeepers would be rightly annoyed at the wholesaling of goods. He referred back to a previous speech he made, when he joked about not seeing oranges at a farmers� market he was opening, only to see oranges inside. A quality mark is needed, he suggested, to allow farmers� markets to become a window for all that is good about rural Irish food.

Diane Dignam (Programme Manager with Accel) closed the opening addresses. Along with thanking the previous contributors, she spoke of the training Accel provide, in conjunction with the Eilish Broderick of the Rural Food Company Training Network and Sean McGloin of the Western Organic Network. Diane also mentioned that their work would be further developing in September.

Opening presentations:

The first of the main speakers of the day was Darina Allen (Ballymaloe house, Chef and Writer). Darina gave a typically impassioned speech about both the historical development and current state of farmers� markets in Ireland. Her San Francisco �light bulb moment� in 1995 when she saw a farmers� market and the opportunities it offered to Irish food producers. The Coal Key market in Cork herself, Caroline Robinson and others established, Midleton market, and then some �thorny issues� were all addressed. She addressed the issue of localness � while you clearly want as much of it as possible, you also need variety, she suggested. The other thorny issues were: Inconsistencies of quality, low standards and the lack of both farmers and homemade goods at some farmers� markets; the need to bring country markets, which maintain high standards, into the loop; the price of stalls at privately-run farmers� markets; inconsistent local authority attitudes and behaviour, in particular in relation to their interpretation of the casual trading act; Environmental Health Officer (EHO) consistency; attracting more farmers in, in particular getting the IFA involved. This latter point got the first spontaneous round of applause of the day, and was emphasised by Darina pointing out that three farmers in Midleton are still on the land because of its market. She then spoke of opportunities and trends she saw in food terms: local, seasonal, rare and foraged foods such as honey, apples, wild garlic, her best selling organic nettles, rare breed meats and more. Cookery demonstrations were attractive at a farmers� market, while fishermen�s� markets were likely to emerge in the near future. Finally, grants for refrigerated trailers and the educational dimension of a farmers� market were presented as opportunities.

Questions from the floor dealt primarily with the issues of the management and the frequency of Ms. The use of an employed manager to represent and organise the farmers� market was suggested from the floor. In relation to queries on frequency, going weekly and running through all kinds of weather were suggested as the best options by Darina, for the consumer. She also suggested allowing in seasonal sellers, such as Autumnal soft fruit sellers.

And in response to Darina�s request for the IFA to get involved, a representative of the IFA�s horticultural section spoke from the floor. He pointed out that the horticulturalists were under severe pressure; their numbers were down to 200 from 1000 just a few years ago. However, literally in the last year, the IFA has started to take farmers� markets seriously. While this has been a solitary campaign, the representative suggested that if they are approached, they will now be supportive.

Michael Gleeson (EIRI Corca Baiscinn) spoke of the practicalities of establishing rural farmers� markets. The four key elements are:
Physical location - be central, visible and have good parking.
Have a core of dedicated producers
Have a solid structure: the rules of the market are a tool to prevent poor quality or unsuitable produce in, but they also need to be somewhat flexible, especially in rural under-populated locations. Shop around for the best group insurance deals.
Work hard and decently at it: Have an inability to take �no� for an answer, while keeping key people on-side

Along with these points, Michael emphasised local embeddedness and consumer relations: he referred to consumers as (following the Slow Food Mantra) Co-producers who should get what they want: tofu salad won�t go down as well in small isolated rural towns as bacon and cabbage, he suggested. He also suggested that one person could be appointed as a farmers� market development and support officer in each local authority, and that sustainable farming should be taught in Agricultural courses in Educational Institutions.

Questions from the floor brought up the balance between duplication of stalls and healthy competition. While it should be possible to figure out the balance between the two, John Bowman offered a note of caution: what if someone says that their version of a particular product is better? Location also emerged as a discussion point: in towns with no central focus, it can be hard to attract people in, it was suggested. Michael replied that he has had to deal with the same issues, but they are surmountable. Essentially it just takes time, he suggested � three years is the measure, and the second year is often the hardest. The option of evening markets, and the further need for training in educational institutions also emerged from the floor.

Panel Session: Comparing and contrasting different models of markets:

The open forum discussion that followed featured a panel consisting of Ray Dunne, Quarry mount free range meats; John Brennan manager, Leitrim organic farmers� co-operative; Jackie Spillane, market manager, Dublin/ Wicklow; Michael Peters Nuffield Scholar; Emer Duffy, Vice chair, Country Markets ltd.

The discussion revolved around the following key issues: the varying degrees of local authority support, insurance, language used to describe markets and, related to this latter point, the presence or otherwise of farmers at �farmers�� markets.

With regard to local authority support, inconsistencies were again mentioned with regard to council attitudes to signage. A lack of general support from local authorities, and the need for supports to increase incomes which are otherwise too low received a round of applause.

Insurance and the Casual Trading Act were discussed in detail. It was suggested by a representative of the Irish Food Market Traders Association (IFMTA) that there may be no need for insurance. This representative suggested that the relevant person to liaise with is Will Coventry in the Department of Trade and Enterprise, who has the guidelines to the Casual Trading Act. A representative of the Insurance industry pointed out that we live in a litigious society, and suggested caution. He also pointed out that the company he represents, FBD, have a useful specific policy: if you have farm insurance, you have product liability and you can sell at no extra charge. He also pointed out that if there is processing involved you need to make sure that your processor is insured too. In a point which links the first and second of these together, it was also suggested from the floor that some local authorities want both individual stalls and the farmers� market itself to be insured, with Public Liability of up to �6.5 million required. The speaker suggested that neighbouring local authorities do not require this. Jackie Spillane mentioned that the cost of Insurance does act a useful filter against �flighty vendors�. The notion of group insurance for farmers� markets was also mentioned.

Language also caused a stir. Farmers� markets being described as �organic farmers� markets� are bad for consumer confidence, according to Jackie Spillane, if they only have one or two organic stalls present. She also made reference to the fact that cocos, the county council run model of farmers� market she�s involved in, have a high percentage of producers present as vendors. From the floor, it was suggested that the term farmers� market is often a con. The producer and vendor who suggested this also suggested that the consumer was starting to realise this. She also suggested that the lack of IFA support for farmers� markets put people off getting involved. Others suggested Teagasc also need to get involved in training people to produce for direct selling. John Brennan, however, suggested that the name farmers� market was worth maintaining. The job was to attract farmers, not change the name, in his opinion. He also suggested that certified organic produce on sale at farmers� market has a form of quality assurance, through the organic certification scheme. A discussion also developed on the issues around local slaughtering and waste disposal, on the benefits of co-op structures and finally the need and opportunity for a national representative farmers� market organisation.


Marketing presentations:

Different farmers� markets and farmers� market models were then analysed. Kate Burns (Senior partner, First Western) examined the Origin farmers� markets. She studied farmers� markets in Boyle, Manorhamilton, Sligo, Ballybofey, Letterkenny, Omagh, Strabane and Ballymoney. Regeneration, encouraging enterprise and the integration of social, economic and environmental goals were LEADER and Action 2�s aims in funding these farmers� markets. There were market, production and locational issues, along with marketing/branding issues, concerns around agency consistency and resources. However there were also lessons learned: There is no �one size fits all model�: cultural and social factors make farmers� markets in different towns quite different. Kate compared Colraine farmers� market�s circumstances to Ballymoney�s: Colraine is a university town, tourist-orientated, with both retired people and people on relatively high incomes and the council have been very supportive of the farmers� market, through attitude and funding. Ballymoney has had the opposite experience. She also suggested that farmers� markets with small target populations need to be in operation weekly and fish, meat, bread, cheese and vegetables are a must at any farmers� market. Kate also suggested that pricing, selling techniques and labelling tend to need greater consistency; that networking between producers and host communities is invaluable; that markets in areas of a low population base and challenging economic factors probably need on-going support; and that markets do best where host communities are engaged in complementary activities.

Aisling Roche (ARMS food marketing specialists) presented her research on Roscommon farmers� market. She presented a positive �before and after� story, whereby the farmers� market implemented her recommendations and are benefiting from so doing. A combination of interviews, observation; customer survey of 100 customers, workshop and finally a marketing action plan were conducted. Signage and product labelling were major issues. However the consumer survey elicited many positive responses. Aisling had a range of recommendations for the stallholders: meet regularly, develop an action plan, recruit new stallholders, display information and make it a more cosy experience through the use of music, heaters, lights and improved layout; form an association, use name badges, have a code of practice, tell and re-tell their customers their positive stories, consider their market segments such as local businesses having their lunch there, advertise and generate PR locally and finally use branded boxes and bags. Much of this advice had been taken on board. Novel approaches included inviting the French Market in as guests and placing one stall outside the entrance each week to entice people in.

Una Fitzgibbon (manager, small business, Bord Bia) also presented her research. Her first tip was to let people know where your market is. She then presented some consumer trends: Consumers now want to live life to the full, but are busy; they want to make an ethical difference and choose healthy options; they also want trustworthy, authentic food. She suggested that Irish consumers eat together as a family, that half consider localness and that quality is important to them. Specifically in relation to farmers� markets, her research revealed the following: consumers felt that feeding the family was a complex task, with many mixed signals coming from the media; consumers want good food that is organic in style � natural, fresh, unprocessed. Various consumer quotes were then presented, featuring adaptable consumers seeking natural foods; busy consumers and consumers seeking simple food without too much hassle. So consumers want simple, unprocessed food and feel that the local dimension has a myriad of positive aspects which induce a feelgood factor. She concluded by suggesting that trust, the quest for natural foods and sociability were the three fundamentals that need nurturing, protection, enhancement and promotion. Una also presented more marketing tips, including providing freshness and quality; using publicity (especially roadside signage, newspapers, visibility/passing by and reputation/word of mouth); being sociable and community-orientated; build direct relations with consumers (from email addresses and phone numbers to other direct selling options). She then pointed out the range of work Bord Bia do for the small food business sector in general and on farmers� markets in particular, including both sponsoring and featuring quality Irish foods at events, publishing a farmers� market guide, and organising the taste council.

Keynote presentation:

After this, Trevor Sargent, (Minister of State for Horticulture and Food) took to the podium. He firstly suggested that he was booked in before he became minister, but that he was delighted to attend in this new capacity. He pointed out that farmers� markets are important for regional identity, they excite the public and they excite the department, the later of which he cited as an achievement. He then spoke of his plans for farmers� markets. He wants farmers� markets to be genuine; to create clear a plan to remove obstacles to direct selling; to liaise with local authorities while also encouraging them to be supportive and consistent; to make planning regulations clear, consistent and minimal; and finally to improve food production facilities.

Food production also emerged as a key theme. The steady decline in vegetable growing in Ireland is a particular concern for him, especially in light of food security issues. He notably mentioned that he would press release the seasons, to help people reacquaint themselves with the natural growing times for vegetables. He also spoke of achieving GM free status, of providing local abattoirs and of reaching 5% target of organic production by 2012. He concluded by suggesting that he was ready to listen to and lead the sector.

Questions from the floor revolved around achieving organic status and the misleading use of the word organic at some farmers� markets, as well as the difficulty in being a viable food producer with the costs of food production rising all the time. This latter point struck a chord with many attendees. He minister agreed and emphasised with these floor statements. He also stated that, despite the (selectively interpreted) WTO rules and their effect of food production, farmers� markets were a lifeline for farmers, and food security was bound to become an issue for the future.

Panel discussion: Successful Farmers� Market management for best results:

Annemarie Mullan, (chair, St George�s food and garden market, Belfast)
Ted Murphy, (market manager, Midleton market)
Caroline Robinson, (chairperson, Irish food Market Traders Association)
Patricia golden, (Origin farmers� market, Boyle Una Bhan tourism)

The discussion initially revolved around the need for and availability of training. Then, the focus shifted over to models of farmers� market. From the floor, the notion of having a market or market�s manager was posited. Anne-Marie Mullan agreed that this has helped in her situation. Trevor Sargent pointed out that the successful and long running Dublin Food Co-op also has a manager. He also pointed out that local authorities should have a person on this issue and other related town centre issues. Ted Murphy and Patricia Golden pointed to their own situation, where successful farmers� markets have liaised well with local authorities and with funding agencies. However, it was also suggested that funding is no guarantee for success: a LEADER funded farmers� market in Cork was one of the few of the 30 or so that failed, according to Caroline Robinson. Darina Allen suggested that there was too much emphasis on funding: all you need is good produce, a table, boiling water, soap and a towel to get started, she suggested.

Standards, image, price, trading days (traditional town market days or separate days), the price the producer gets and should get, availability of produce, and opening times of the farmers� market were discussed. Hot ethnic foods, strategic use of crafts to fill dead areas, musicians and lobbying tourism agencies to promote self-catering holidays all emerged as positive opportunities for farmers� market development.

When it emerged that two Castlebar town councillors and the town Clerk were in attendance, eager and actively seeking a farmers� market to be established, the crowd reacted with both surprise and enthusiasm.

Remaining presentations:

Oliver Moore (Irish Examiner, Sligo I.T., Greenbox) presented on how farmers� markets deal with the problems of distance and disconnection, and on the important role organic food plays in the farmers� market. Distance and disconnection refer to the effect of inevitable economic processes, especially involving increasing scale, which reduce how local either the people or the produce at farmers� markets actually is. Traded, processed goods sold by vendors rather than farmers are an example. There are, however, numerous ways farmers� markets deal with these otherwise inevitable problems. These include: The cumulative aspect to the development of farmers� markets in Ireland, whereby newer models of farmers� market enrol greater stakeholders, including rural development workers. That said, privately run farmers� market in operation in and around Dublin avoid these issues by simply offering a huge array of produce; the value-adding opportunity the farmers� market offers to producers � essentially producers can turn their hard work into a good story to help their product sell; the organisational interests of organic farmers - organic farmers have been to the forefront of developing farmers� markets, because they like the idea of controlling the means of distribution; consumers deliberately seeking out ever more local and natural produce as and when it becomes available. Possible problems to consider, however, include inconsistency in the treatment of farmers� markets by local authorities; over institutionalisation, whereby local authorities and rural development organisations become so involved that they control and stifle the farmers� markets; overstretching capacity �many farmers� markets have less than 10 stalls, the UK has 550 farmers� markets for 60 million people, Ireland has over 120 for just 6 million on the island; and broader town planning and retailer-relationship issues. Overall, however, he suggested that the outlook was relatively positive: in broad terms, the interests of producers, organisers and consumers resonate.

Joanne Lorriman (senior Environmental Health Officer with the Health Service Executive) pointed out that the law in relation to food trading had changed from being prescribed to being about guidelines. She suggested that voluntary engagement with the EHOs was beneficial, so stallholders can get advice on what they need to do. Two specific aspects of the responsibilities of food traders were covered: hand washing and temperature control. There are three categories of risk - high medium and low - and each has a different set standards. High risk requires a designated wash hand basin, an adequate and instantaneous supply of hot and cold water at the stall, soap and disposable paper towels or other suitable hand drying facilities. Medium risk requires a designated wash hand basin, an adequate supply of hot and cold water at the stall, soap and disposable paper towels or other suitable hand drying facilities. Low risk requires that the stallholder demonstrate there is adequate means of cleaning hands. She also discussed equipment and training. With regard to temperature control, Joanne stated that the guidance required a 5 degree temperature to prevent rapid microbiological growth and refrigeration or a suitable alternative is needed. Factors to consider include type of food and duration of market, food management techniques, equipment and training. Overall Joanne suggested that the standards were higher than three years ago, but that greater exchange of information was needed.

The first statement from the floor pointed out that some EHOs seem to come with a negative attitude before even the market has opened. A lack of consistency in EHOs was suggested. Joanne replied that they too are inspected, meet to discuss best practice and consistency and have a formal complaints procedure. The need for communication, in the face of a feeling of �helplessness� was emphasised from the floor.

Gareth Jones (Managing Agent FARMA - the UK�s national farmers� retail and markets association) presented a practical case study on certification and accreditation of farmers� markets. He first compared Parisian and US farmers� markets, before suggesting that the first of the 550 modern certified farmers� markets in the UK began in Bath in 1997. To be certified by FARMA, the farmers� markets have to either have farmers selling the produce or they must follow the FARMA guidelines: Stallholders sell only their own products; principal stallholder is involved in production; produce must be from the locality. Currently they have 230 farmers� market members. They offer a certification scheme based on three elements: certification of farmers� markets; verification of producers; diploma for farmers� market organisers/managers. Gareth then outlined the initial 12 week process of certification, as well as the procedures for year two and three, FARMA's training of inspectors, media work, advisory work and so on.

Facilitated discussion: Isobel Fletcher, Trevor Sargent and Michael Gleeson then facilitated a discussion on whether the certified farmers� market approach was possible in the Irish situation.

The first suggestion from the floor pointed out that differing regions in the US have a different experiences: California has a great growing climate, is abundant and has large population centres. By comparison, upstate New York has different conditions, and does not have a certified system. Gareth suggested, however, that these very people have said to him that they now wish they had started with a certified system years ago. He also said that the locality rule is set by the farmers� market itself, not the certification company. Others also suggested that the UK model was based on a country with larger population bases and monthly rather than weekly farmers� markets, whereas some farmers� markets in Ireland are in towns with two to three thousand people and on weekly. It was also suggested from the floor that most of the problems with the authenticity of farmers� markets occurred in the Dublin region. An alternative suggestion was for farmers� market-led certification, and to not only certify farmers� markets, but to tie funding to having a certified standard. Likewise, other speakers suggested that there were too many traders and not enough farmers, that high standards involving farmers or local farmed produce need to be maintained, that people involved in farmers� market are being too short sighted in how they view farmers� markets, and that control and answerability are both missing. The potential for a system of derogations, similar to the certified organic derogations was also suggested, whereby the specific circumstances of each farmers� market could be taken into account: the day of the week, availability or otherwise of various products in the town itself, availability of suitable produce for selling at the farmers� market in the region, and so on.


The activities or otherwise of the producers was also discussed. Certifying producers rather than markets was suggested. It was also suggested that a so called fisherman could have a boat but never use it. The value of a co-operative approach amongst farmers, of giving certified farmers preferential, central locations within the market, and using the skills of regional sellers was also pointed out. Farmers are not always natural sellers, and are busy, it was suggested.

The fact that farmers� markets are in the public good and are often held on a traditional day in a traditional place was pointed out by Michael Gleeson.

The bureaucratic and paperwork potential of yet another certification scheme clearly worried a large number of delegates. A fish monger suggested that there was an �industry in regulation� which was �driving producers to the wall�, which resonated with many delegates. Duplicate inspections were also an annoyance. The potential for organisations such as Cl�r, for local authorities to appoint and support someone to help develop farmers� markets, and a mentoring approach to help develop skills, rather than an inspection only approach, were also all suggested.

Trevor Sargent suggested that these are frustrating problems, but we live in a country with exceptionally high multiple retailer dominance and suffer from the effects of years of poor planning, which makes us very car dependent. Both of these factors lead to a predominance of out of town shopping centres. However, he pointed out that his Green Party ministerial colleague John Gormley was wiling address these issues.

Some key themes that emerged included:

Farmers� markets as an important and growing part of the retail landscape, both from a rural development and consumer perspective
The need for local authority consistency in relation to their treatment of and work with farmers� markets
The need for farmers� markets to provide high quality produce with authenticity, but also to be more internally coherent: be aware the benefits of more professional presentation
The need for training both in sustainable farming and the specific area of farmers� markets
The benefits of working with other stakeholders in a constructive way: e.g. seeking advice and recommendations from EHOs
The need for more stakeholders again to start getting involved in a more serious manner, e.g. the IFA
The benefits of more people working for farmers� markets, whether as market managers or as local authority representatives
The range of consumer wishes: quality, naturalness, simplicity, cheapness, contact with local people and local food, variety and more.
There is no clear agreed position on certification of farmers� markets as of yet, though there is a palpable interest in having high standards. Bureaucracy, frequency, climate, regional socio- cultural factors, provenance, population, conflicting consumer expectations, rate paying shops, broader town management issues, a legacy of bad planning, the lack of farmers at farmers� market, and the misleading of consumers in the current, less regulated environment are all issues that feed into the dynamic.


Ends. Oliver Moore July 2007 (http://olivermoore.blogspot.com/)

Here's an article I wrote on the recent farmers' market conference in Athlone

The recent farmers� market conference was an exceptionally positive event. It was so for a number of reasons.

First, it was packed. The event sold out two weeks before the 30th, which is never a bad sign. 370 delegates turned up, which leads to the next point: The range and calibre of the delegates. Those working in development (rural, agri-food, business and specific farmers� market development workers), producers and vendors, farmers� market organisers, some local authorities and politicians (including both Ministers O� Cuiv and Sargent) but also others less expected. At least, less expected until now: Insurance companies, environmental health officers, equipment sellers (from canopies to tilling), seed savers and sellers, researchers, journalists; the range itself was impressive. The stalls outside the conference area presented both great products and networking opportunities.

The first spontaneous round of applause came when Darina Allen asked the IFA to become more involved. After she said this, a representative of the IFA�s horticultural section stood up and pointed out that he was in fact present, had worked with minister Sargent previously, and himself and the organisation were interested in the farmers� market phenomenon in a way they were not until very recently.

The need for consistency from local authorities also reappeared as a theme again and again. According to some of the research done and presented at the event, the most successful single act of promotion you can do for your farmers� market is to have road signage. It beats word of mouth and all other adverts. Yet there is severe inconsistency in local authority attitudes to signage, ranging from fines for having them to funding to make them. This certainly emerged as a topic that needs resolution to encourage growth in the sector.

That there were some local authority representatives from a town without a farmers� market, pleading with producers to come and set up a market in their town was a welcome development, and a sign of how attitudes to farmers� markets have improved.

But there are still some belligerent and short sighted local authorities who don�t see the long term benefits of the farmers� market to the local cultural life and economy. One presentation compared the two northern towns of Ballymoney and Coleraine. The difference was staggering: Coleraine town council invested �32,000 and have people to liaise with the farmers� market. They now have 24 successful stalls. Ballymoney has had the opposite treatment, and struggles.

In general, the need for more support people to help develop the sector emerged clearly. Whether this involves managers who run and represent clusters of farmers� markets, or specific people employed by local authorities, a more organised and thorough system would be welcome.

The need for consistency in the farmers� market itself was also an issue. Having labelling (products details, prices, name tags) promoting the farmers� market in both creative and traditional ways (from putting one stall outside the entrance to entice people in, to sending press releases to the local papers when there�s news) and the importance of key products such as fruits and vegetables, fish, cheese, meat and breads all emerged as important.

The importance of training, from Teagasc to agricultural colleges and departments in academic institutions, also emerged. Training in sustainable farming, outside of the organic collages and training centres is thin on the ground, according to one speaker. That this speaker works in rural development and has some training in this area, which he travelled over to Scotland to receive, speaks volumes.

Certification of the farmers� market also emerged as a discussion point. Should farmers� markets be demarked as having a particular standard related to provenance? Should their support (as regards funding) be tied to this? There was both support and resistance to the idea. The UK certification model was presented, but some speakers felt that something like this certification would be easier in a place the size of the UK. It was also pointed out that you don�t need funding to set up a farmers� market - you need belief, initiative and a flask of boiling water, it was suggested.

Others felt that language was being misused, to the point that some consumers in some markets were being mislead about the provenance of the produce: Farmers� markets should be for farmers and farmed produce, not for wholesaling, otherwise surely rate paying shops would complain. This issue is likely to rumble on.

Rumble it will, but farmers� markets are one of the success story in agriculture, and one with a bright future.

Here is the interview I did with Green Party leader and New minister of State for Food and Horticulture here in Ireland, Trevor Sargent. It was published recently in the Irish Examiner's farming supplement, which comes out every Thursday. Nothing about organics actually, as that was kept over for the organic diary, which was published last thursday.

Oliver Moore: Being from Dublin, and with the Green Party having such an urban base�

Trevor Sargent: Hang on a second, are you labouring under the misapprehension? Aren�t you aware that half of the fresh produce in the country is produced in north county Dublin? There are also a lot of lamb, sheep and dry stock farmers there too. And, for the record, I�m not a city person - where I live is a serious food producing area

OM: So you have an automatic connection to farming�

TS: I do, also through my family in Longford and Meath, I would have been involved with farming during my summer holidays

OM: You also do some gardening, if I�m not mistaken?

TS: I do: I grow as much of my food as possible in a small suburban garden

OM: Tell me about your new role. What�s your remit?

TS: My responsibilities cover the development of the food industry throughout the country. That entails monitoring the food industry headings under the national development plan. The specific aspects include the horticulture sector, including plant health and organic production, though of course organic production goes far beyond horticulture, as the biggest growth in that sector is in livestock.


The early retirement scheme is also in my area. Insuring that farming has a future means encouraging young people to get involved in farming. This scheme can�t be made attractive enough, for somebody to let their farm be farmed by a younger person, when they get to an age when they could enjoy a slightly easier life, given that farming is such a hard life.


I also have responsibility for livestock breeding. A particular interest of mine is in establishing more abattoirs locally. Animal feedstuffs are another important area of mine.

OM: That�s a fairly broad remit. This latter area is an interesting one.

TS: It has an international dimension. Currently, we are relying on imported feedstuffs, even though much of our livestock is produced for export�we have to insure that these imports are of a standard to get the best market opportunities in our exports. So we need a full debate on the growing influence of the biotech industry in the production of GM animal feed, given that our markets are very keen to ensure GM-free produce. Examples include Co-Op Italia, and many others� Carrefour, Auchan, in the UK there�s UK Teascos, M&S, Sainsburys, Budgens stores. They all have high quality labels that require meat and dairy produce to be fed on certified GM-free feed.

OM: But we do sell meat to these countries, and these retailers you�ve mentioned are some of the biggest players in these countries. So is it that we don�t get to sell meat to them or that we are at risk?

TS: I think we�re at risk. Because at the moment, we don�t declare that the food is fed with GM. So it is taken as read that if it�s not declared as GM it must be non-GM. So we are managing to get away without having to certify it as GM free at the moment. But I�m seeing a trend internationally, where consumers are requiring far more upfront certification. In that regard, we need to be prepared for that. We have such a good grass producing climate in this country. We should be taking advantage, and insuring the greatest possible self-reliance in feed from our cereal sector, and making sure the supply of GM-free feed is assured.

OM: What is the current status of availability of GM-free feed?

TS: It is available. There has been a meeting between suppliers and the 3rd largest feed supplier in the world, the Brazilian company Imcopa. They were assuring farming organisations they have sufficient feed for the whole of Europe, should the whole of Europe decide it wanted it .They certainly would supply Ireland

OM: I suppose we then get into a whole set of other arguments, about GM, food miles, regulations in Brazil�

TS: Well this is the crossroads we are at. We need to capitalise on the high quality reputation we have, and that is to be found in guaranteeing that we are GM free. We need to both maintain and enhance our reputation. We need to look at what we stand to loose, not just the costs. We need to make the best, long term decisions. 15 dollars per tonne is the price of guaranteeing GM-free soya, according to Impoca. We need to also work at import substitution, to make sure that the money goes to our own cereal sector, rather than exporting the money. We also need to maintain our extensive production, so that we can rely as much as possible on grass feeding�it�s about playing to our natural advantages.

OM: What about the recent Teagasc report on GM, which pitches the cost of staying GM-free as somewhere between �7 and �42million, depending on the scenario considered?

TS: I want to meet with Teagasc, to see how they arrived at that figure. Because it�s very important that we take decisions based on all the information, and longer term contexts, and what potential we have to avoid costs. I think it�s fair and wise to ask those questions. Previously, let�s remember, we were all advised feeding meat and bone meal was a good cost effective course of action. We found to our cost that it was anything but. I think we should learn lessons from the past.

OM: Maybe it is the case that the scope of research Teagasc can do, while being good in its own scientific area, might not be able to take into account the market, socio-cultural realities and so on.

TS: Well I would say that (is the case), because the previous programme for government, when it came to GM, talked about taking into account both health and environmental criteria. It didn�t talk about taking into account markets. From an agricultural point of view, it�s vital that we take into account the market�. there are GM-free zones all over Europe, including Ireland�.

OM: But what about the legal status of these zones?

TS: There are ways around it. EU rules state that you need to prove that it�s not possible for GM and non GM to co-exist, before you can declare an area GM free. There�s grounds for that in Ireland�.Likewise, you can, if there�s an agreement in an area, where all the growers undertake not to grow GM, you can de facto declare the area GM free. And it would be, I would argue, in the interest of farming in the area to capitalise on their selling point in doing so. The fact that councils have declared their area GM free indicates that there is popular support for declaring an area GM free. There are ways around the WTO rules, (rules) that have been seriously influenced by the biotech industry, but I think people need to be able to determine their futures.

OM: You mentioned at the start that you were from a horticultural region of Dublin. What is the current situation regarding horticulture?

TM: In particular, they are the ones under the most pressure - so many of them are under so much pressure that they are going out of business. This is bad news not only for these farming families, but also for us nationally, because our food security is further diminished. Food and energy are intrinsically linked together. The price of energy is a large part of the food production costs. A grower in my own area, producing parsnips and leeks, has found that his energy costs have more than quadrupled in the last 5 years. And yet, he�s not getting anything more for his produce. He�s under more and more pressure every day to keep going. If we could reduce the food miles, and have more access to his produce rather than just depending on supermarkets, then there would be the option for him to continue beyond what he is currently doing

OM: So is part of your remit also farmers� markets?

TS: Very much so. There needs to be a number of measures in this job, to insure you are making progress, and the number of farmers� markets is one such measure. So I will be meetings county managers, local authorities, public representatives and officials, so that they will recognise that they have a role to play, to insure that their area has as many farmers� markets as possible.

OM: As you are aware, different local authorities have had different attitudes to farmers� markets ranging from positive to negative.

TS: Very much so, both your paper and your strong Munster readership have been leading the country in this regard. You have managed to create the association between say, west cork and gourmet food...

OM: But why is it that in Ennis they�re fined for putting up signs saying the farmers� markets is on, and in Leitrim they are funded for putting up signs saying it�s on?

TS: There is a clear inconsistency�so there should be consistency in how our markets are developed and advertised, notwithstanding regional branding diversity

OM: How will farmers� markets accommodate the very large growers in your part of the country?

TS: (These producers) are in many ways designing their operations around supermarket interests - to the point of just having one or two crops�maybe farmers� market can help these producers, if only in relation to market research. Maybe it�d be a small part of their sales, but it might provide a lot of useful information for them�for example, one thing that went down quite well, though it would be a small part of his overall business, was the selling at farmers� markets of Brussels Sprouts still on the stalk. That�s something of a unique selling point, it keeps the product fresh while people also like the idea...there needs to be some reaching out from the organisers of the farmers� markets; maybe to take delivery of some of the produce for markets from these farmers, and undertaking to sell the produce on a commission basis. There needs to be some way of connecting farmers and farmers� markets, and that requires a bit of lateral thinking�