new short slow food video available here.....

( http://tbsstoryline.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.

This is the follow-on interview with Trevor Sargent, the new minister of state in the Department of Agriculture and Food. In the previous post, he outlined his remit and vision for food in Ireland. The only relevant aspect not covered in detail was organic farming. Here's the organic bit...

Oliver Moore:
We�ve had targets for increasing organic production before, and failed. All across Europe, despite some growth in the sector, increased organic production targets have not been met. This has also been the case in countries where the Greens have been in government, such as Germany. In this context, how realistic is the aim for 5% organic by 2012?

Trevor Sargent:
The target is high but hopefully not too high. Austria is leading the way in Europe, with over 11%. I would hope our 5% is seen as prudent and practical. It�s especially realisable in the sheep and drystock area. This would have been acknowledged in the Dail by the previous minister, Joe Walsh, in debates we�ve had. He was saying that much of the production is almost organic, and I was saying let�s make it official then, by helping the farmers in question to be certified organic. Then they would have the additional benefits and premiums in being certified organic.

OM: What are the barriers you see to the development of the sheep and drystock aspects of the organic sector?

TS: Getting animals slaughtered in a way that ensures they could maintain their organic status�that has been a problem for a number of organic growers that I�m aware of. They produced animals to the organic standard, but when it came to slaughtering, they weren�t able to maintain their organic standard beyond slaughtering� that�s why I�m working to insure that local abattoirs are available, so that organic farmers can comply with the requirements for slaughter. I�ll also be talking to the other factories, to make sure that there�s room for organic slaughtering as well. It�s a case of filling the gaps in the system that are there already.


OM: I suppose it fits in with the traditional green approach to not liking live exports, while at the same time dealing with the economic realities of Irish farming.

TS: It�s positive. I mean, this is what I hope my ministry is all about - looking at the positive, and capitalising on the natural advantages we have, while being pragmatic in supporting farmers.

OM: What else does the organic sector need to develop:

TS: We also need to insure that the training is there too, and an independent organic agency. These are oft called for from the organic bodies. Also, a public procurement programme for organic food in canteens and restaurants. These are all part of (the overall) strategy. I�ll be working to put that strategy in place quickly, to insure that it gets the targeted funding it needs. I�ve no doubt it�s (5%) a realisable figure, there�s a great public appetite, no pun intended, for the target, as it represents import substitution. According to figures I�ve read, up to 75% of organic produce is imported. Aside from the export potential which is huge, and needs to be developed further, there is a huge potential for import substitution. It�s a sad reflection that so many people associate organic with imported produce.

OM: What about the role of the organic certification bodies?

TS: I recognise the huge work they are doing, but I think too much is being put on their shoulders. It�s not about taking away from the certification bodies, but about augmenting the work by having a national strategy. I know the organic development committee is working hard to implement a national strategy: I look forward to meeting Mr Duggan and the committee to do everything I can to help in that. I�m involved myself with all three certification bodies, Demeter, the Orgnaic Trust and IOFGA.

OM: Are you certified organic yourself?

TS: I�m sorry to say I have all the documentation at home, but I haven�t had time to deal with all the paperwork! Which I�m sure is a problem that most farmers can relate to, the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy that goes with it.

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�

intro vid to organic

Ahhh, its good to be back

2nd draft of PhD handed over, tiny window of time....and how things have improved since I was last here!

Green minister for food and horticulture, with whom I've had an interview in the examiner last week and this....he was also at the farmers' market conference, which was also great....and he stayed and listened!

Tings luk gud, sow day do

the point of this post: have a look at the video in the link below........

intro to organic farming in the US, and it's relation to carbon dioxide

lovely little video starting with Percy Schmeiser, and going into a straightforward description of organic farming and it's relation to green house gases..........

I'm redraftin a bit of me PhD at the mo, so postings have slowed down for a bit, and will for another 10 days or so....however, here's another of my Examiner articles in case you missed it first time around.

Ever wanted to know what a life in the week of an organic farming development worker would entail? Well, read on........

�Monday usually involves a bit of admin, organising upcoming training and paperwork to keep the funders happy� so says Sean McGloin of the Western Organic Network (WON). WON organise training all over Ireland for organic farmers, and for those considering the organic option. Sean, a graduate from the Ballyhaise Agricultural College, is the main organiser of these trainings, and in this capacity, is kept busy six days a week. And there�s more plotting and planning involved in this role that you�d imagine. An interesting life, but a busy one nonetheless.

�Last Monday, I was also working on getting another mobile butchers, as the Leitrim Organic Co-op�s one is attending a market in Dublin on the day it used to attend the Carrick-on-Shannon farmer�s market�. Monday also involved worked on organising a rare breed (Moiled cattle) training day in Antrim. A busy fella, and it�s still only Monday!

�On Tuesday I was at a very interesting workshop in Mountmellick. It was about what�s called care farming or social farming. It�s the idea that farms can be therapeutic centres, where people can come to work and learn. Because it would involve people with difficult backgrounds, mental and physical disabilities, depression, drug or alcohol problems, domestic violence and so on, getting funding for something like this would require a broad spectrum of cross cabinet departmental co-operation. And there isn�t much in the way of policy in this area, so there�s a lot to be done on it. However it is a promising area � over 40 people attended the workshop. Some groups are doing something similar already, like the Camphill communities, brothers of charity, St. John of Gods. Of course it can also be another income stream for farmers.�

Wednesday was the Teagasc organic production conference. �It was very upbeat, they were expecting 120 and got more like 160. And most of them were conventional farmers, which was great. A horticulturalist with 150 acres spoke of supplying hotels and catering in general, and avoiding the supermarkets altogether. Overall, the speakers were good, but one guy really stole the show. A fantastic guy, over from Australia, spoke about specialised machinery for organic horticulture. He was really enthusiastic and really professional .He did a fantastic presentation on mechanical weed control. Nobody could believe how far they�d come. He�s even invented his own small-scale machinery, which could easily be hooked up to a small tractor on a farm in the west of Ireland�

Thursday involved working on supplying organic lamb to the north east: �it�s one of the areas that the market hasn�t developed for. But Leitrim Co-op may have another contract for supplying organic lamb to a retailer � up to 2,000 a year. The logistics have to be worked out, quality, weights, continuity of supply, but it�s looking promising We�ll organise training for producers if it happens.� Sean also worked on the upcoming farmers� market conference in Athlone, did a bit of admin, and somehow squeezed in a bit of studying for his MA in Organic Agriculture, which he�s doing as distance learning through Aberdeen University.

On Friday, Sean had his weekly meeting on Septembers� food festival which will be held in Drunshanbo, and, of course, more admin and more paperwork � which, as you�ll probably see by now, is the bane of everyone who works in the funded sector�s life.

He didn�t even stop on Friday either. Saturday was part two of the pig production workshop, on trainer Ted Mole�s organic farm in Roscommon. This was the fifth such course run by Ted.

He didn�t do anything specifically organic-related on Sunday, he tells me. Somehow, I�d imagine he took the odd work-related call, and probably ended up talking shop with someone, somewhere.

The Western Organic Network can be contacted at:

Enterprise Centre, Hill Road, Drunshanbo, Co.Leitrim, on 071 9640688 or by email at info@westernorganicnetwork.com

Identity and masculinity in modern Ireland

Just to prove that I am not completely obsessed with organic farming, here's an article I wrote a while ago for the Irish Examiner about male roles and parenting in modern Ireland.

Whenever I take my kids to the park, I�m always amazed at how people keep saying things like �oh you�ve got your hands full there�. I mean, I�ve only got two kids! When my partner Vicki takes our kids and sometimes more kids to the same park, no one bats an eyelid. I got to wondering why this was the case: why do people still have lower expectations of men than women when it comes to parenting?

I spoke to Dr. Sara O� Sullivan, who teaches a course on gender in UCD about the issue. I suggested to her that people, in particular from an older generation, often have a conservative conception of the role of the man in the family. While she agreed, she qualified the idea by suggesting that within couples, expectations had in fact changed. It�s just that the practical realities of work hadn�t kept up: �within couples, there is an expectation of more involvement. There is an understanding that the breadwinner role is an outdated one, and that the father as nurturer and a carer is something that is expected. Some kind of contribution to other domestic work is usually expected by women. That can cause a little bit of difficulty because the broader context of work outside the home hasn�t changed, and that can be problematic for both men and women�

Some changes in Celtic Tiger Ireland have made the situation even more difficult. In particular, the length of time it takes to get to and from work each day. People live further and further away from where they work, so in many cases, the working day starts at 5 or 6 in the morning.

My own personal way of dealing with the problems of commuting has been to try to avoid it altogether. For the last few years, I�ve been working from home. Now, this obviously isn�t an option for everyone. But having previously commuted long distances I decided to try to cut it out, at least while the kids are so young. Working in academia, I decided to turn more to research than lecturing. I managed to get a research contract where I could do most of the research from home. I converted a garage into an office, got broadband in and this office is where in fact I�m writing this article from right now.

There are many effects of this, some positive, some negative. Overworking and cabin fever can be issues. Ironically, imposing a 9-5 type structure can sometimes be helpful.

While it�s great to see the kids more often, I often end up shooing them out of the office when I�m trying to work. This can be a bit disconcerting for them, as I�m there but not fully accessible. At least working away somewhere, I�d be, to some extent, �out of sight out of mind�, though there are obviously problems with that too.

However the positives completely outweigh the negatives. Notwithstanding the occasional need for structure, being in charge of your own time is great. Once I get enough work done, I can start and finish when I like. When I take breaks it�s with the family, and I can give a hand when needed. Being able to re-organise when I start and finish the day is handy for those vital occasional occurrences � like the World Cup. Proper hot food at lunch is a real treat. As my daily commute is walking down the stairs, I save on money, time and stress and obviously get to spend longer with my family.

My partner also works from home; she runs a child care service, and hopes to turn this into a cr�che. This might suggest we share the work load equally, but of course we don�t. As you can see from the ESRI figures in the box, men aren�t always great at doing their fair share.

I�m reasonably happy that I do enough of the kiddie/school-related activities and the cooking. We cook a lot because we�re both at home and are real foodies. But there are defiantly some things we men don�t seem to even realise need to be done. Sometimes it seems that men do the fun stuff with the kids and women do the more nitty-gritty stuff. Many men, myself included, seem to avoid some or all of the following: clipping the kid�s toenails, washing the floor and windows, scrubing the skirting boards, hoovering, cleaning the bathroom properly�eh, better stop there�.

Demographically, two parents working outside the home is the norm these days in Ireland.

Some academics suggest that women who work outside the home protect their dual roles. I put this point to Sara: �There is some recent American research on dual income families, looking at how women protect the role in the home even when they are working outside the home - to retain their gender identity, to present themselves as good wives, good mothers. So they seem to be doing huge amounts of work once they get home�

Along with this, society doesn�t value this work adequately. According to Sara �you are seeing a stalled revolution, in that women are entering the workforce in huge numbers, but there isn�t a countermovement into the home. I think the reasons for that are quite interesting. Work is valued, whereas work in the home isn�t�

Recent research suggests that on average, Irish women�s commute time to and from work is shorter than men�s. While this has obvious advantages, it is a double-edged sword. Does this suggest that, in general, women have jobs but men have careers? According to Sara: �Certainly for women with children, in Ireland at present, that would be the suggestion, yes�

What do these realities and expectations mean for modern men? Is masculinity is in crisis?

Dr. Anthony Clare (psychiatrist and author) points out that there has been a reduction in importance of manual labour, a decline in the breadwinner role, and changes in how families are formed and function. Many single parent families are thriving, and most of these are single female parent families. There are inevitable consequences for men: �the point of them, their purpose, their value, their justification - is a matter for public debate�

He suggests that men were once sure of their place in the world, and even when they weren�t, they created the impression that they were. Now, he claims, men are both less relevant and more anti-social: �Throughout the world�antisocial behaviour is essentially male�when it comes to aggression, delinquent behaviour, risk taking and social mayhem, men win gold�. Suicide is also a predominantly male practice.

In the past, Clare claims that in his practice he saw more women in crisis � �empty-nesters� who�d lost their identity. Today, however he sees middle-aged men who�ve been �put out to grass, compulsorily retired, downsized, rendered redundant.�

Think of Warren Schmidt, the character Jack Nicholson played in the movie About Schmidt, or Willy Loman in Arthur Miller�s Death of a Salesman. Clare himself points to Homer Simpson as an omnipresent and negative role model, telling kids that male parents are bumbling buffoons.

Sara points out that in advertising, men are often portrayed in this buffoon-like way: �all the adverts that use a dad, or a man in the kitchen, almost always position them as absolute ejits, with absolutely no competence in any domain. They are always saved by their wives or mother or somebody else.�

But is it really all that bad? Aren�t some men forging new identities, is identity more plural these days, and, if so, are all our little identity bits completely gendered all the time? What about the gender(ed) messages that migrants, travel, and the media give us?

Metrosexual man is one such new man, maybe even a new new man. Rather than being unsure of his place and identity, metro man puts the man into manicure.

Back to Sara: �The metrosexual is the dominant advertising image presented to men, and this is a lot more of a take up of beauty products, you know waxing, fake tans and the like. Certainly there is an increase in the emphasis on the body, but that�s younger men. I don�t think it really impacts on older men�

I�m not so sure that most younger men are comfortable being considered metrosexual. I reckon that men get ridiculed relentlessly when they partake in the next feminised product that comes along � currently it�s the manbag. Maybe men can act slightly metrosexually, once you don�t tell them that that�s what they�re doing.

At this stage, I�m not even sure if I�m not sure about my identity crisis. But I don�t mind. At least I don�t have to listen to Ian Dempsey or Ryan Tubridy while stuck in traffic in the morning.