I recently attended a third world charity event which was followed by very welcome refreshments.

One of the organisers proudly told me the tea, coffee and sugar was all Fair Trade, appropriate enough given the event. Being a farmer I asked if the milk was Fair Trade and from local suppliers. I got a look as though I had two heads!

This got me thinking about the public’s perception of farmers and food. On one side people are eager to make sure African farmers are paid properly for their work, but there isn’t the same connection between buying Irish food in a supermarket and supporting Irish farmers.

So where does this disconnect happen? Most people are no more than three generations from a farm, and given modern communication can the urban rural divide be that great? I don’t think it is actually an urban rural divide, it’s more down to advertising. Buying say vegetables in a farmers market the customer can see a direct link to the producer, often the grower is behind the stall. Some supermarkets have started putting up pictures of their local suppliers to cash in on this trend, however the volume sales are down to branding. This means that the customer chooses their food on the “image” of the product and very little to do with the farmer. When it comes to own brand products the image is advertised as “value”.

The quality of, for instance, own brand milk cannot be questioned. Minimum standards of hygiene and constituents must be followed by all milk. However, I don’t believe it is good “value”, it simply is priced cheaper. To me value is like Fair Trade or sustainability, the customer should know this milk is produced by a farmer and whether that farmer has been adequately paid for his/her work.

Where Irish consumers really came behind farmers was last Christmas week when a number of supermarkets started giving away vegetables for 5 cents. It really brought it home how the multiples control the market when I saw a local street trader in Bandon that week having no customers and hearing that an East Cork grower had his Christmas week orders to the two shops he supplied cancelled. The supermarkets were very quick to say that their own suppliers were paid in full. However, how many more local traders or growers had to bin a week’s supply of perishable produce and had no income (never mind bonus) for Christmas 2013?

Using food, especially first class food, as a loss leader serves to devalue food rather than give the customer value. It was crazy at the time to watch someone paying full price (or maybe extra) for a bag of dog food, and getting food for the family virtually as a free offer.

All farmers want is to make an income from their work and investment, whether it’s supermarkets, meat factories, Bord Bia or consumers, Fair Trade practices must include all farmers and not simply a type of charity giving to developing countries.