Britain – the dirty man of Europe
Feb 2006 (July update)
“Why isn’t Food from Britain here?” I asked the presenter from the French TV company.
“Because you have terrible food. Have you ever wondered why the French never want to go on holiday to Britain?” he replied in his charming accent.
Walking away I thought, no, we don’t have terrible food, we have fantastic food. Scottish shortbread, whisky, salmon and oatcakes. English stilton, cheddar cheese, strawberries and lamb. Cornish clotted cream, scones and pasties. Real ales, ciders, Eccles cakes, Bakewell tart, Melton Mowbray pork pies… the list goes on. But having spent three days walking around the amazing displays of regional French produce at the Salon International D’Agriculture, it was quite clear that something was going badly wrong. Post-BSE and FMD, the French still thought we had terrible food. The British quangos were failing to do their job.
The Salon International D’Agriculture
The Salon International D’Agriculture (SIA) is the world’s largest food and farming show. Held at the seven gigantic exhibition halls of Porte De Versailles in Paris, it puts France at the centre of the food map. This year was the 43rd annual event.
More than 700,000 visitors attended the vast showground, with adults paying €12 and children under six admitted free. And they came in their droves. As we left the Paris Metro, the whole train emptied onto the platform and proceeded along the route towards the showground. Not missing a trick, the French had lined the route with posters informing us about the importance of origine.
The SIA is a political statement, too. Among the visitors this year was the French President, Jacques Chirac, who stood comfortably with one hand on a cow while chatting to a farmer on television and, on another day, his arch-rival, the urbane Minister of the Interior Nicholas Sarkozy.
The French clearly love their food. But more importantly, they also know how it is produced and where it has come from. After visiting the SIA, it was easy to see why this is the case.
We went into the main hall, where 600 cows and bulls, 650 ewes and 60 pigs were on display. Huge beasts to cute little piglets. Despite the numerous signs telling people not to touch the animals, everyone was stroking or patting them. After nine days, the farmer with me said the animals didn’t look at all bothered by this.
If the Salon International D'Agriculture demonstrated one thing, it is that France's love of great food begins with the love of the animals and the farmers who produce it. As I was sitting in the stands of the main ring to watch the best-of-breed, the compere’s voice boomed out, “Who is from Normandie?" Everyone from Normandie cheered. “Here is your cow.” Everyone from Normande cheered again. “And who is from Alsace?” Another cheer as the prized cows entered the ring to the rousing beat of the latest chart-buster.
Then there were the food halls. It took two days to go around just four of them. Amazing displays of cured meats, cheeses, olive oil, chocolate, bread and wines. Water and marine stands promoted oysters, fish and seaweed, and there was another great hall for vegetables and fruit, not to forget the goats, rabbits and donkeys in another area. Italy crowned its large food area with a huge stand dedicated to the king of Italian cheeses, Parmesan, while Switzerland boasted about its chocolate and cheese in an area next to this. India, Thailand and even Cote D’ Ivoire turned up, but we couldn’t find anyone from Britain. Where was Food from Britain? Back home, the farming industry was in the process of cancelling the Smithfield Show at Earls Court.
The contrast in marketing approaches between France and Britain explains a great deal as to why the French have such a strong and vibrant food culture, while Britain is struggling with issues such as obesity and diabetes.
So, what was the difference between France and Britain?
What did the Salon International D’Agriculture have to teach us?
Reconnection in spades
Firstly, there was the sheer scale and sense of purpose of the SIA. Everything was aimed at the consumer, to ensure that food and farming were intrinsically linked. The butchers' display was next to the cattle stalls in the main hall. The piglets were next to the three-dimensional exhibit of a pig farm alongside the game to identify where your cuts of pork come from. Further down the hall, French children were being taught how to cook from scratch by enthusiastic chefs. And there was a buzz of excitement as everyone learnt something new.
The monotonous trade association business-to-business stands were barely visible, relegated to a small area of the show. And the two food multinationals looked embarrassed by their presence. Food was being taught from farming up, and not by the food multinationals, supermarkets or Government down. Everything was the other way round.
The show's masters talked in layman's terms about the quality of the animals and the quality of the food. There was no mention of CAP reform, breeding programmes, farming issues or the old boy club. As ‘international visitors’, we were even invited to take part in a TV show. This was an event to be proud of. And the photographic exhibition of spectacular animals with their farmer owners summed this up.
The regional difference
In the regional food halls, we were bombarded by producer stands of huge variety and character. Flags were flying around the Basque region, the men wore their distinctive black berets and the produce was piled higher than anyone else's. These guys were keen to sell. They engaged in banter, insisted on us trying every single type and variety of saucisson, and remembered us when we tried to slip past their stand a second time, as if we were old friends.
Each French region was supported by its own tourist organisation. “Come on holiday to our region to see why our farming and food is so good," the stands beckoned. There was no getting away from the fact that farming, food and the countryside were intrinsically linked. And it really worked. You could almost smell the mountain air in the mountain cheeses, while the lavender from Provence and its purple fields made you feel wonderfully relaxed. How dull our plastic-wrapped, own-label supermarket shelves feel by comparison. Is this why the French still buy fresh produce from their local butcher, boulangerie and greengrocer? Is this also why the French supermarkets provide detailed information on the region and country of origin on their produce?
Taste the farming 'origine’
At lunch time, the crowds of visitors melted into the restaurants on the edges of the food halls. There were no fast-food outlets in sight. People sat down and enjoyed the produce from each region. At the restaurant from Limousin, we ate the freshest salad, delicious beef and tried an unusual apple aperitif. Place mats were illustrated with maps of the region and speciality produce, so that we knew for certain what we were eating and where it had come from. Earlier in the week, the Limousin restaurant owner had appeared on the live TV show and, clearly pleased with the publicity he had received, was handing out the write-up from the regional daily newspaper for stallholders to see. EU funding was flowing as well as the wine. Leaflets and newspapers all bore the EU flag, a sure sign that it was funded by EU marketing grants. PGI- and PDO-status regional protection schemes were proudly displayed by their owners alongside detailed explanations of how the farmers had managed to achieve such high accolades.
There were many lessons to be learnt:
1. Nature defines the region
On the whole, the French regions were visually distinctive and based on regional differences in geography, climate and farming conditions – in other words – they were developed from the countryside and farming up and not from Government-imposed definitions down. For example, Pays de la Loire is well known for its wine-producing area, as well as for the River Loire. Other instantly recognisable regions were Alsace, Midi-Pyrenees, Haute-Normandie and Basse-Normandie.
By contrast in Britain, the Government has created nine Regional Food Groups that report into the daddy quango, Food from Britain. These Regional Food Groups have been given meaningless names, such as North West Fine Foods or Tastes of the West. At the administrative level this is fine, but when these are imposed on marketing activity they aren’t as effective. They fail to leverage the distinctive climates and geography of the land. For example, people never talk about going on holiday to the North West of England. Instead they tell their friends that they are visiting places such as the Lake District, the Pennines, the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Devon, Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk or even the Somerset Levels. These conjure up much stronger visual images and local identities. The Government-invented regions, such as South West England, fail to make the connection in the consumer's mind with the countryside they are visiting and the food they eat. Despite this, the tourism posters for Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucester and Dorset run up and down the M4 on Lloyd Maunder lorries encouraging people to visit the South West. If I were a farmer or food producer, I would want to use the most evocative place names for an area to market to the consumer, in the same way that the French do. I would leverage my farm landscape, climate and wildlife to sell my produce. As city dwellers sit in their concrete offices dreaming of escaping to the countryside, food and farming should be at the forefront of their minds.
Government-led marketing activity is a turn-off at the best of times, so it might be worth taking a leaf out of the French book on this. Farmers should leverage the distinctive qualities of their own land and climate to define their produce in the same way that our whisky brands do. Why does this meat taste distinctive? What are the special qualities of these apples?
2. Farmers are responsible for food marketing
French farmers know how to market to consumers. As a result, the French are proud of their food culture and their farmers. There was one clear reason for this: farmers were getting on and doing the job themselves. They had set up hundreds of farmer-owned marketing co-ops and plugged these into the EU funding schemes. For example, the olive oil producers had several bodies marketing the different producers, as did the wine producers. There wasn’t a quango in sight. Even more surprising was that there weren’t any supermarkets there either. Perhaps this was the main reason for the success of their marketing activity: no own-label to contend with.
3. Quangos are useless
In a prime spot of the main hall there was a large empty space. EBLEX (goodness knows what EBLEX means to a French consumer) was sitting right in the middle of this space. Scotland (QMS) and Wales (HCC) had failed to turn up. So, on the eve of the 10-year ban on British beef exports being lifted, they couldn’t be bothered to turn up to our nearest and most important market.
The Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) wouldn’t even allow the union jack to be used on the stand. And in the absence of the HCC and QMS, EBLEX was unforgiveably the last quango in Paris.
The French man from the MLC was charming and helpful. He explained how he had originally worked at the British embassy in Paris and had experienced the response to BSE when the French had burned the British flag outside the embassy 10 years ago. He had persuaded the MLC to fund a stand at the Salon International D’Agriculture to help rebuild Anglo-French relationships. The space had cost around £10,000 to rent for the nine days and provided him with an office for the duration of the show. During this time, he had had 80 meetings with key players at a very important time for British beef. With 700,000 voters attending the show and live TV cameras, the Salon attracts all the key ministers and food players. It seemed like a small amount of money to spend for a presence at such an important European event. So, why didn’t Scotland or Wales turn up? Why were there no marketing materials aimed at the French consumer to promote British beef? Why was the EXBLEX stand only populated with farmers exporting breeding sheep to French farmers? And why weren’t the farmers who sell direct to the public day-in, day-out at farmers’ markets invited to fill the gap? Why was the only poster for British meat about an export breeding programme saying: "Reproduction, Embryos and Semen" at a show for families and children? God only knows.
At least the sheep on the stand were an improvement on last year. In 2005, it seems that EBLEX had provided literature on the status of scrapie in the British flock and the French reaction had been "Oh no, not another disease on its way over to us from Britain!"
So what could we be doing?
1. Farmers hop on a train, boat or plane and visit the show for themselves. Entry is free for international visitors (one of the advantages of EU funding) and the hundreds of food stands provide plenty to eat and drink (cured meats, wine, sausages and cheeses). The show provides the best market research opportunity for any farmer wanting to develop new products, brands or marketing activity. It is also an eye-opener of what can be done, with a little bit of imagination, to reconnect to the consumer.
2. Farmers take control of their own marketing activity, as the quangos and trade associations are clearly not interested in doing this job.
Farmers should develop their own consumer focused marketing activity (see What we do Marketing Help & Advice section of this website). They should develop their own brands and then market these to the consumer.
Smithfield could easily be resurrected from a failed trade show in central London to the best consumer-driven food and farming event in the world. The finances would need to be based on public entrance fees and producer food stands. But if the French can do it, why can’t we?
Alternatively, the Royal Show at Stoneleigh could become the leading event for promoting our great food and farming nation. Compared to SIA, it could be vastly improved. In 2006, there was only one regional food tent at the Royal Show alongside the food hall. In stark contrast, the Royal Cornwall Show had three local food tents in 2006, packed with producers all from the Cornish region. If Cornwall, one of the most deprived regions, can do it, why can't the Royal Show manage to attract as many local food producers nationally? Currently, school parties and families with children wander around aimlessly. Many fail to make it to the livestock areas and several school parties spent more time in the international tents (e.g. Nigeria) in 2006 than in our own food and farming areas. The FACE tent was next to the international food area and about 100 times smaller than the educational areas at SIA.
i) Schools education resources and family activity packs
Schools education materials should be developed for school parties visiting the showground. These would provide teachers' notes, curriculum-compatible information, activity sheets, maps and freebies (e.g. stickers). They would be produced in conjunction with the Livestock Stewards to ensure that parties of children gained the maximum benefit from the trip without disrupting the showgrounds main purpose (i.e. judging). But they would ensure that children visited the cattle, pigs and sheep livestock areas to learn about how their food is produced and where it has come from. The packs could be sponsored by farmer-owned brands (e.g. Dairy Farmers of Great Britain milk) and given out to children as they enter the showground. Packs would be aimed at specific age groups (e.g. five- to seven-year-olds and eight to 10).
ii) Professional comperes
The French comperes are highly professional and skilled. They draw in huge audiences to the livestock judging events, and position farming-centre stage. The British showground presenters are poor by comparison. They mumble, fail to attract audiences to the livestock-judging areas and might as well be reading out the cricket scores. They need to become much more engaging, communciate interesting facts and information about the animals to non-farming as well as farming audiences to prevent agriculture from becoming sidelined by horse shows and craft stalls. The Royal Show should also be employing professional commentators such as Sue Barker. The fact that the Royal Show fails to make it onto national TV each year, while SIA has nine days, 24 hour national TV coverage says it all.
iii) Regional food tents
The Royal Show should become the national event for regional food and farming.
Cornwall and Lincolnshire have successfully shown the way forward. These counties have delivered their own distinctive regional food tents at the Royal Show, linking tourism, food producers and farming to their region. Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Hereford etc. could all follow suit utilising the same council funding streams. This would make the Royal Show the largest food and farming event in the country. It would support local food producers and help reconnect consumers with how their food is produced and where it has come from.
Farmers should also take over running the food court area at the Royal Show. Haymarket failed miserably at running this in 2006. The Royal Show could be the largest farmers' market in the country as opposed to one or two under-utilised food stalls. Following SIA's lead, high-quality dining areas could also be set up by region. These would be run by leading chefs (e.g. Rick Stein's restuarant from Cornwall), to promote farming, rather than being highjacked by the supermarkets for their own purposes.
3. Salon Del Gusto, the Italian artisan food event, is being held in Turin 26th - 30th October
Perhaps some of the 761 levy-body employees could get their act together to help British farmer groups and food producers to attend the show? If DEFRA, Food from Britain, Visit Britain, Visit England, Visit Scotland, Visit Wales, the Regional Food Groups or the Regional Development Agencies can’t get their act together to promote Britain at such a great event, perhaps our taxpayers' money would be better spent on something else entirely.
Notes:
Salon International D’Agriculture
754,119 people visited SIA in 2005.
There were 1,079 exhibitors from 30 countries in an area of 147,00sq m.
The French regions were:
Alsace
Aquitaine
Auvergne
Basse-Normandie
Bourgogne
Bretagne
Centre
Champagne-Ardenne
Corse
Franche-Comte
Haute-Normandie
Ile-de-France
Languedoc-Rousillon
Limousin
Lorraine
Midi-Pyrennes
Nord-Pas-de Calais
Picardie
Poitou-Charentes
Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur
Rhones-Alpes
Food from Britain is the Government funded export agency responsible for:
- Promoting British food and drink overseas (i.e. exports)
- Promoting regional food and drink within the UK
FFB received £6.4 million in Government grants in 2003/04.
The exhibitions and events listings on its website failed to mention Salon International D’Agriculture(www.foodfrombritain.co.uk/exhibitions)
Food from Britain has an international network of offices in Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, and 65 consultants.
According to the website:
“Food from Britain is passionately committed to helping British food and drink companies. Our worldwide team has unrivalled market insight and trade relationships to develop and grow your business. With a full range of capabilities, FFB is the market development consultancy for British food and drink producers.”
3. The levy bodies
The levy bodies are funded by £54 million of farmers’ money.
The levy bodies are:
British Potato Council (BPC)
Horticultural Development Council (HDC)
Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA)
Milk Development Council (MDC)
Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC)
English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX)
Hybu Cig Cymru – meat promotion in Wales (HCC)
Quality Meat Scotland (QMS)
They were named as some of the most useless quangos in The Essential Guide to British Quangos in 2005 by Dan Lewis.
A recent review by Government-appointed the independent Reviewer, Rosemary Radcliffe, gave the levy bodies a clean bill of health and failed to make their funding accountable to farmers through a voluntary contribution of funds.
QMS has set up a quality assurance scheme for Scottish beef that has achieved PGI status. This can benefit from EU funding.
Farmer-owned brands differ from assurance schemes in that they are owned by the farmer or a farmer co-op. Farmers then control the marketing for that brand and the people employed to conduct the marketing of the product. The levy bodies are controlled by Government.
Levy body employees and funding levels 2004/05
BPC 54 £5,873,000
HDC 60 £4,673,000
HGCA 61 £9,756,000
MDC 44 £7,278,000
MLC 554* £26,333,000
Total levy £53,913,000
* Average of EBLEX, BPEX, HCC and QMS. The MLC distributes its levy revenues among the EBLEX, HCC and QMS bodies.
EBLEX £11,305,000
HCC £7,563,000
QMS £3,998,000
Source: Farmers Weekly/final report on the Agricultural and Horticultural Levy Bodies.
4. Assurance schemes
The NFU set up the Red Tractor assurance scheme. This is owned by the NFU, but marketed and run by a separate body called Assured Food Standards.
The Red Tractor has benefited from Government grants, but is again not owned by farmers.
The Soil Association owns the leading organic scheme. Organic schemes can apply for EU funding.
5. EU marketing budgets
The EU provides marketing budgets to promote regional food and drink, organic produce and PGI- PDO-status foods to consumers. These foods can all be promoted under State Aid rules at events such as the SIA.
Britain has failed to use this funding stream to educate the consumer about how their food is produced or where it has come from (i.e. origine).
DEFRA has failed to encourage or support the development of marketing activity that utilises this EU funding stream to help farmers protect our food heritage.
Other EU countries apply for marketing grants.
The country allocation of 19 million Euros budget for milk, vegetables and wine promotion is detailed below.
Country Allocation in Euros (%) Share
France 11,677,308 (61.0)
Italy 3,995,433 (20.9)
The Netherlands 1,688,750 (8.9)
Spain 1,092,838 (5.7)
Belgium 207,805 (1.1)
Ireland 199,500 (1.1)
Germany 130,000 (0.7)
UK 79,735 (0.4)
Denmark 40,370 (0.2)
Total 19,111,739 (100)
Source: Farm Business (26/06/03)
Approved EU quality-assurance schemes and Protected Geographical Indication (PGIs) or Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) foods can be promoted under State Aid rules.
France and Italy have registered 135 products to protect their food heritage. France and Italy recognise the value of speciality products such as Champagne and Parma ham. In 2003, the UK had only registered 35 PDOs and PGIs, well behind even Portugal (85) and Greece (83).
When a group of producers of traditional Melton Mowbray pork pies applied for PGI status, they were challenged by the Government adviser Lord Haskins, owner of Northern Foods, a supplier of supermarket own-label products.
Number of products registered by member states:
Member State PDOs/PDIs TSGs* Total
Italy 134 1 135
France 135 - 135
Portugal 85 - 85
Greece 83 - 83
Spain 75 3 78
Germany 67 - 67
UK 35 1 35
Austria 13 - 13
Belgium 4 5 9
The Netherlands 6 - 6
Luxembourg 4 - 4
Sweden 2 2 4
Finland 2 2 4
Ireland 3 - 3
Denmark 3 - 3
Source: DEFRA 2004
*TSG - Traditional Speciality Guaranteed