Trudi Davies The Politics Show South East

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Strawberries: Kent, Spain or the USA?

They are the British farming industry's most high-profile shop-window. They help protect the countryside.

They help with employment in rural areas and they provide fresh, seasonal produce direct to the public. But do we take them seriously?

There are now more than 500 farmers markets across the UK, but often they are seen as a pleasant way of passing a weekend morning rather than a serious alternative to a supermarket shop?

This week Paul Siegert takes the Politics Show to the farmers market at West Malling to find out about food miles, freshness and seasonality.

Food link broken?

According to a recent poll for Farmers Weekly we have lost our link with the seasons and no longer understand where our food comes from and how it gets to our plate.

There was a time when strawberries were only available in the summer, and apples appeared as autumn set in.

Now the apples are likely to have come from China and the strawberries from Spain.

The "Produced in Kent" organisation point out that June and July are the most important months for growers but they worry that shoppers will choose supermarket chains over the small shops.

But the importance of farmers markets goes further than food miles. According to Defra, the number of farmers in the South East has fallen by 60% since 1995.

Farms here play a vital role in preserving the landscape and countryside of weald and downland, which are semi-natural and dependent on management and grazing by livestock.

In an area continuously under threat of more house building, urban fringe farmers, in particular see themselves as guardians of the green belt.

So is the Government doing enough?

In 2002 nearly half a million people took to the streets of London to tell Labour that they didn't understand the needs of the countryside, 4 years on and the signs don't look good that the relationship has improved.

The disastrous administration of the Single Farm Payment has left farmers facing interest charges and their suppliers with unpaid bills.

Fresher and better?

And a recent Early Day Motion in support of the Farmers Weekly Food Miles Campaign has received a record 120 MP signatures to date, 10 from the South East although none of them Labour MPs.

Most of the regions farmers are commodity growers - they produce wheat, barley, milk - which have to be sold to processors not the direct to the public.

For them it's even more important that the Government and local agencies ensure that they can compete fairly and equitably with the rest of Europe.

Join Paul, his guests and the traders and consumers at the West Malling Market for what promises to be a lively programme.

Do Labour understand rural issues?

Do you make a point of buying local food or does the convenience of the supermarket lure you in each time? Text us on 07786 209252

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The Politics Show South East

Join Paul Siegert on the Politics Show on Sunday 02 July 2006 at 12:00 on BBC One.

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