Economics to be influential weapon in battle of food miles
It always amazes me that an island as tiny as our own has so much variation in climate and geography.
It can be snowing in Scotland and basking in warm sunshine in the south. Even in our own county of Shropshire – the largest inland county – the weather can be entirely different and the terrain varies tremendously, from our dairy farms and rich grassland in the north and east towards Cheshire, the open arable land to the east, the Severn Gorge running through to the south east, and then moving round to Wenlock Edge, the Stretton Hills and the Welsh borders and sheep country.
The ‘regionalistion’ of the county is highlighted by the number of market towns, and the amazing variety of produce means we can cut down on food miles and enjoy locally produced sustainable food and drink.
The current rises in food costs have brought it home to us how much we have relied on imported produce over recent years, and assumed that the wide range of seasonable choices will be available throughout the year thanks to imports.
The question of climate change first raised this reliance. But economics will be a far more influential weapon in the battle of food miles.
Sarah Norton is a retired rural dweller living near Shrewsbury
