Down on the Farm
Readers who have recently been disturbed by reports of the plight of South
American coffee-workers might like to know a bit more about what happens to
food-producers in this area. Supermarket lettuces are the subject of this
article, and the scenario is as follows: supermarkets "order" a
certain estimated quantity from local farmers and negotiate a price. The
farmers supply, the supermarkets buy, but then what happens is something like
this, depending on the degree of civilisation of the super-market in question!
UnCivilised Supermarket: Great News! We're having a two-for-one offer this week. We'll need twice as many lettuces
Farmer: That's good! I'll see what I can do...
UCS: They'll be half-price, of course.
Farmer: "Yes, you said."
UCS: "No...but that's half-price to you. We're only offering you half-price. Take it or leave it!"
Alternatively, there's the Civilised Supermarket:
CS: "Um...your lettuces. Excellent quality... we're very pleased. Only thing is, we wondered if you could possibly ...um... take twopence off your price?"
Farmer: "NO! I need to eat too!"
CS: "Yes, quite. Oh dear. You see, we've just been offered this cheaper deal from Italy. We're going to have to take it up, I'm afraid..."
You see, agricultural producers are sitting ducks for big buyers once crops like this are ready for harvest. They can whistle round the world, but we're rooted to the spot. It's not Fair Trade, any more than gazumping is fair trade, and the result is that good, reputable farmers are driven out of the business, and the hapless few that remain are up to their ears in debt and despair. What price all those critical food-safety issues in such a climate? Don't ask!