It’s the road for small farms

WHEN Teagasc researchers have to advise small farmers that their best bet for the future is to sell their produce on the side of the road, we can conclude that the agri-food wheel has definitely come full circle.

Yes, farmers’ markets are being put forward as a pathway to conserve smaller scale family farming and help prevent rural depopulation in Ireland. And remarkably, this local food movement is growing, despite almost no support from policymakers.

With eyes fixed on world markets for our beef and dairy products, and with record beef exports to the EU to celebrate, local farmers’ markets are far from the minds of many.