Fairtrade vs locally grown
Buying Fairtrade goods can make a difference to the poorest farmers on the planet. But because they are imported, such products can generate higher food miles and more carbon emissions compared to locally produced food. Environment Correspondent PATRICE JOHN asks should consumers always buy Fairtrade and forget about food miles?
AT BEACON Farm in Aldridge, near Walsall, farmers Peter and Pauline Lilwall do not only rear their own animals, they also run a fruit and vegetable shop, a butchers and a florists.
In fact, the food miles of their goods are relatively low because the majority are grown, produced and sold on site.
Mr Lilwall, who has been running the site with his wife for 18 years, says there has been a major change in the food market in recent years, which has impacted on both UK and foreign farmers.
"Years ago it was easier and cheaper to import food," he says.
"Transportation of food was cheaper, but now that has changed.
"There seems to be more of an emphasis on UK farmers and UK produce and that is the real difference.
"We do well at our farm because we sell all kinds that general supermarkets won't touch, including misshaped carrots or dirty beetroot and even the pork and beef we sell is fed on what we have grown on the land." Mrs Lilwall says the shop continues to generate business and attract customers that enjoy buying local produce.
"We get new customers ever y week," she says. "Some of these are more mature customers but more and more people who come here are young customers who want to know where the food was produced and if it is local.
"We grow a lot of it ourselves, which seems to please our customers, but we also buy from other farmers including one in Lichfield."
Mr Lilwall believes the benefits of buying local are good for the consumer and for the environment and so people should carefully consider doing it.
"In terms of quality, we have found that there isn't a lot of difference in the quality of the food from abroad and food produced here," he says. "But when you consider the impact on the environment, there are still a lot of people who prefer to buy local."
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