Green Euro-MP To Visit Farm Project In New Forest
12 April 2007 - Green Euro-MP Caroline Lucas is to try for herself the results of a pioneering local growing project in the village of Martin near Fordingbridge in the New Forest .
She is to visit Futurefarms, a non-profit-making scheme set up in 2004 to cut the number of miles that our food travels. All Futurefarms food is produced and sold within the Martin parish boundaries.
Caroline, who will have a look at the fields and free-range pigs and chickens, said: "I am looking forward to visiting Futurefarms. There are so many benefits to it. It is vital that we reduce the number of miles that our food travels – both because of climate change and because international trade has been linked with the rapid spread of diseases like avian flu. Yet we have created this ridiculous system of food swaps.
“In 1998, Britain imported 61,400 tonnes of poultry meat from the Netherlands in the same year that it exported 33,100 tonnes of poultry meat to the Netherlands . This picture is repeated with pork and lamb. Projects like Futurefarms show that we can break out of this cycle.
"With its traditional farming methods, it boosts the quality of the food that we eat and improves animal welfare. It also provides a focal point for a village that has no shop, pub or post office, a situation which has become commonplace in villages around the country.
She will be shown round by Janet Richards, a member of the committee that runs the co-operative farm, and the lead district council candidate for New Forest Greens. After the tour, Caroline will get a chance to enjoy lunch prepared with Futurefarms produce.
Janet said: "We started the project because we want to be able to buy food that is grown locally. What could be more local than food grown in the village where you live? Another benefit is that we know exactly how our food is being produced. We know that our vegetables have not been sprayed with pesticides and that the meat comes from animals that are properly cared for."
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