Farmers take to streets to fight for their future

Mar 18 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

BEEF AND sheep farmers from across the North East are taking to the streets of the region this week to fight for the future of the industry.

Farmers will hit the streets of Newcastle on Thursday to urge shoppers to support locally produced meat.

The event is part of a National Farmers Union campaign which has been rolled out around the country, amid concerns for the long-term future of the industry.

Events are also planned for Darlington and Hull.

NFU North East regional director Richard Ellison said: “British farmers produce some of the finest quality meat in the world and in our region it’s a real speciality.

“But with current prices well below production costs, and the number of beef and sheep farmers falling nationally by 12,500 in the last 10 years, we are really concerned about the long-term future of the industry.

“Unless things improve, we’re worried that not only will consumers be unable to buy British, the landscape will suffer as a consequence – with upland areas most at risk from undergrazing and agricultural dereliction.

“More than 60% of our region is classed as upland and much of this iconic landscape underpins the region’s thriving tourism industry. Nationally since 2004, the beef herd in England has fallen by 11% and the sheep breeding flock by over 10%.

 In our region the figures are even more worrying, with the sheep breeding flock down by 17.9% in just six years and beef down 17.1%.

“So there’s a lot at stake and that’s why we are calling on people who care about where their meat comes from and care about the countryside, to put pressure on supermarkets to start lifting farmgate prices to a sustainable level.

“The NFU has produced a postcard with a difference – one that members of the public can send to supermarkets asking what they are doing to ensure a future not just for beef and lamb producers but also for the beautiful landscapes that they manage.” The campaign, which aims to highlight the importance of livestock farming to the countryside, economy and environment, has the backing of a coalition of other organisations including the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), Townswomen’s Guild, National Council of Women and the Women’s Farming Union, as well as farming organisations such as the English Beef and Lamb Executive.

The North East venues for the three-day Roadshow are as follows:

Newcastle: Thursday: 10am to 4.30pm, in Northumberland Street, outside the Monument Mall Shopping Centre;

Darlington: Friday: 10am to 4.30pm in Low Row, outside the covered market.