Local Food and Farming Debate - 3 April 2009
[Note: the little loudspeaker icons in the text (like this: ![[listen]](http://www.transitionnewent.org.uk/podcasts/sound.png)
) link to sections of the audio recording of the discussion. Links to the complete first and second half recordings are at the bottom of the page.]
The food group organized a "Local Food and Farming Debate" at Newent Community School on 3 April 2009 chaired by our local MP, Mark Harper.
The panellists included:
There were about 150 people in the audience. The debate lasted one and a half hours, with a break after the first hour. In the first part a selection of pre-submitted questions were put to the panel; members of the audience then had a chance during the break to submit further questions, a selection of which were put to the panel in the second half. We had a total of 24 questions submitted, but the panel only managed to get through 10. All the questions submitted are listed below, including those that due to lack of time did not get put to the panel.
The following questions were put to the panel in the first half of the evening, after Mark Harper opened the debate:
The following questions were put to the panel after the break:
The following questions were not put to the panel, due to lack of time:
Links
Audio recordings (podcasts)
) link to sections of the audio recording of the discussion. Links to the complete first and second half recordings are at the bottom of the page.]The food group organized a "Local Food and Farming Debate" at Newent Community School on 3 April 2009 chaired by our local MP, Mark Harper.
The panellists included:
- Anthony Snell - fruit grower from Ross-on-Wye, chair NFU West Midlands Horticulture Board
- Charles Martell - farmer and cheesemaker from Dymock, local food advocate
- Julia Evans - livestock farmer from Bromyard, former chair of Herefordshire NFU
- Dr James Kirwan - food policy specialist from the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) at the University of Gloucestershire
Jane Price introducing the panel
There were about 150 people in the audience. The debate lasted one and a half hours, with a break after the first hour. In the first part a selection of pre-submitted questions were put to the panel; members of the audience then had a chance during the break to submit further questions, a selection of which were put to the panel in the second half. We had a total of 24 questions submitted, but the panel only managed to get through 10. All the questions submitted are listed below, including those that due to lack of time did not get put to the panel.
The Questions
Each of the items below is a link to a page with the full text of the question, where you can comment on that question and see other people's comments.The following questions were put to the panel in the first half of the evening, after Mark Harper opened the debate
:- Mary Duncan (Oakleigh Farm, Kilcot): planning applications for farmers
- Andrew Ford (Transition Newent Food Group): adapting to oil price rises
- Marilyn Jones (Ragmans Lane Farm Community Supported Agriculture Scheme): community supported agriculture schemes
- Pat Tuson (Allotment Association): landowners and allotments
- Stephen Tweedie (Newent Town Council): self-reliance and systems of government
- Michael Bentley (Castle Fruit Farm): government action to enable more
sustainable farming
The following questions were put to the panel after the break:
- Roger Tutt (Oxenhall): grazing of sheep in orchards
- Liz Christian (smallholder): disappearance of Marketing Cooperatives and Marketing Boards
- Richard Elgie (Oxenhall fruit grower): encouraging young people into the industry
- Susie Keenan (local farm shop and deli owner): which imported foodstuffs would panellists miss
The following questions were not put to the panel, due to lack of time:
- Jacky Smith (garden share organiser): decline of the power of the supermarket chains
- Jeremy Chamberlayne (Maisemore Court): land use
- Kate de Selincourt (Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust): why biodiversity is important
- Peter Moore (Newent Town Council): production of quality fruit and veg
- Jenny Grassom (Women's Institute): promoting local apples
- Jane Horne (Tibberton Council): stopping people going to supermarkets
- Mike Tyers (agricultural equipment company): government support of energy-efficient technologies
- Mike Tyers: intensification of food production
- Ruth Busbridge: permaculture
- Jackie Thompson (Upton Bishop Farmer): climate change
- Martyn Davy (Newent local): cutting wastage
- Lionel Carter (agriculturalist): technology, climate change and peak oil
- Sarah Davey (consumer): changing planning rules
- Susie Keenan (local farm shop and deli owner): encouraging farmers of the future
- Mark Harper MP (an article by Mark Harper about The Future of Local Food and Farming appeared in The Forester the day before the event)
- Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI)
- National Farmers Union (NFU)
- Newent Community School
Audio recordings (podcasts)
