Farmers and producers celebrate tenth anniversary of York's farmers’ market

IT’S hard to imagine that a decade ago, a farmers’ market was a new concept to the people of York.

Shopping local and buying meat and veg from local producers are such a part of our foodie landscape today – and sure-fire indicators of the success of the Farmers’ Market Movement.

That bandwagon began to gather pace in the south-west of England in 1998, slowing rolling north by the following year.

Richard Tasker brought the idea to York, setting up the area’s first farmers’ market at the York Livestock Centre at Murton on September 18, 1999 – during the York Festival of Food and Drink.

Richard, who still runs the market, recalls how organisers were taken aback by the success of the first event.

“We underestimated the amount of footfall and level of interest,” says Richard. “Our car park was full and some of the stalls literally ran out of stock early through the morning. It took a while for supply and demand to settle down.”

For the farming industry, facing a financial squeeze in the wake of the BSE crisis and the dominance of supermarkets, the Murton market proved a lucrative lifeline.

John Piercy is a pig farmer from Huby at Easingwold and has been a Murton regular since the beginning. He cites the arrival of farmers’ markets as a turning- point for local producers.

“Ten years ago, pig farming was in dire straits, people were going bankrupt left right and centre and we were losing tens of thousands of pounds a year. I lost a lot of money,” he says.

Tough legislation on how to keep pigs, from which European producers were exempt, forced up costs, and low prices from supermarkets took the profitability out of the business. “We were producing pigs for £10 more than we were getting for them,” says John. “That went on for a year or two then people went to the wall.”

Desperate for survival, John looked to diversify. He decided to cut out the middle man and began producing sausages, bacon and gammon himself, selling direct to the customer at farmers’ markets.

He began at Murton, then at the farmers’ market in York, and soon to copy-cat ventures across the region, from Malton to Wetherby, Easingwold to Otley. He now finds that people will travel 50 miles just to buy his produce.

The rapid expansion of farmers’ markets in one sure sign of its success.

“When we started at Murton, we were the first in the area,” says Richard Tasker. “Now, within a 30-mile radius of York, there are 40 markets. There’s also untold number of farm shops and every show or event wants to have a farmers’ market area.”

Brad Barker is another Murton regular, selling beef from her family’s cattle herd at Scoreby, near Gate Helmsley. The family also run a butcher’s, A Barker & Son, at Dunnington.

Farmers’ markets are a win-win affair for stallholders and customers alike, she believes. “We feel it is an asset to us, to bring our produce to market to sell. People know exactly where it’s come from – literally from farm gate to fork and plate; we’re only three miles down the road.”

Brad added that farmers’ markets were the ideal way to restore consumer confidence in an industry reeling from crises such as BSE, CJD and foot and mouth.

People can quiz the producers about the provenance of the food. “I can tell them our meat is farmed at Scoreby, slaughtered at Escrick and sold at Dunnington,” she says.

Prices were on a par with supermarkets – disproving a common perception that producers charged a premium at farmers’ markets.

Brad finds that customers also enjoy the personal touch afforded by market shopping. “I sell lots of unusual cuts of meat and I can advise people how to cook them,” she says. Among the top sellers are skirt, tongue and oxtail.

Bob Hirst is a builder and beekeeper from Bishopthorpe. He has been selling his honey at Murton for a decade and says people enjoy the experience of shopping at farmers’ markets. “People come for a day out and to have a nice chat with the stallholders.”

To mark the tenth anniversary, local producers and stallholders are hosting a celebration at their monthly market tomorrow. More than 120 products can be won in a prize draw and plenty of offers will be available, as well as a hog roast.

With meat, fish, cheese, eggs, preserves, bread, cakes, pies and fruit and veg all on sale from the 30-plus stallholders, the market looks set to live up to its description by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott as “fantastic, full of everything”.

With free parking and the benefit of being under cover, Richard Tasker believes York Farmers’ Market remains of the leading markets in the county.

It is also run to accredited standards set by the National Association of Farmers’ Markets which demand that:

• Only producers from within the local area can sell their produce.

• All produce must originate from the area and be grown, reared or processed by the stallholder.

• The stall must be attended by the principle producer or appropriate representative.

The combination of local produce and personal service has been the key ingredient in the market’s success, says Richard.

“A survey found that the main thing people liked was the ability to meet and buy the product from the producer – it gave them confidence, rather than just taking something off a shelf,” he says. “They could ask a producer if something was all right to eat if they had a certain allergy; it gave them a confidence in the product they couldn’t get anywhere else.”

York Farmer’s Market takes place tomorrow at the York Auction Centre, Murton, from 9am to 12.30pm.