Moving to Brazil

Not so long ago France had a campaign against the conflicting information farmers receive from the French government about what their responsibilities are, which resulted in nearly all the village signs in France being turned upside down.

So it came as no real surprise to us recently that the signs were once again being used to make a point. Now they are being wrapped in plastic, and the villages renamed after Brazilian place names. Apparently this is down to the Mercosur agreement, that allows Brazil to export to France lots of produce that has less traceability than the French farmers are forced to record. It means the local farmers product inevitably costs more than the imports, and they’re understandably annoyed about it. It’s definitely a good way for them to get their message out though, as we wouldn’t have been aware of it at all if it wasn’t for their campaign.

We believe the UK farmers are in a similar situation, with cheap, less traceable imports. Maybe it’s a challenge in other countries too. For us, we just try and buy locally where, and when, we can. I know this can often be at a higher price, but we do like to know where our food comes from, and we do like to support our local farmers.