BRITISH AGRICULTURE MARKETING

2005 Update

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Supermarket Secrets for Dispatches by Twenty Twenty production.

This two-part series was Channel 4’s highest rating current affairs show of 2005.

Jane Moore investigated whether the food on supermarket shelves was really as good as it looked, whether prices were as good as they seemed and what happened behind the scenes in the production of supermarket food.

The films asked how supermarkets managed to push prices down and profits up. It highlighted how farmers and growers are being pressured to produce food in a manner that is not good for the environment, animal welfare or our health.

2009 Update

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:37:32 +0000

Mud Sweat and Tractors:The Story of British Agriculture, a four-part BBC series was first shown in spring on BBC FOUR and repeated over the summer on BBC TWO. The series was met with critical acclaim culminating in a Grierson Award nomination for Best Historical Documentary, one of the most prestigious awards for television documentaries. Thanks to David Parker, Available Light Production and the farmers who starred in the series.

Oilseed rape

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:38:11 +0000

by John Cresswell, 2 August 2007

Have you noticed the fields of yellow flowers dotted around farms in the spring? The chances are that you have, since nearly 1.5 million acres are grown in the UK every year. This is an area equivalent to 600,000 football pitches.

Each acre produces one to two tonnes of tiny black seeds and in 2006, the UK produced 1.87 million tonnes of seeds. These are harvested in July and August.

Salon International D'Agriculture

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:09:04 +0000

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.

Marketing Dos & Don'ts

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:36:30 +0000

Do:

Register your brand name (e.g. Thistle Farm).
Start small by selling your product via farmers' markets, restaurants or independent local shops to see what works.
Work with one or two like-minded farmers.
Look at what other successful farmers and food producers are doing at farmers' markets, farm shops, restaurants and in supermarkets.

Industry reports

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:27:12 +0000

Farming Industry Marketing Strategy
British Agriculture Marketing was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive review of the UK food and farming industry in order to make recommendations on how farmers could reconnect with consumers. Published in Jan 2005, the review was commissioned by leading farming trade associations; the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and National Beef Association (NBA).

Media

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:22:00 +0000

The main advertising media channels are press, TV, posters, radio, cinema and online.

Direct marketing includes direct mail, door drops and inserts.

Working with the media

The media provides a very effective way of reaching large numbers of people with simple messages about your business.

Many people turn to advertising as a quick and easy way of getting into the media, but they often do not realise that much more can be achieved - at a fraction of the cost - through a good press release sent to a number of media outlets.

Marketing reports

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:21:00 +0000

Farming Industry Marketing Strategy
Commissioned by the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and National Beef Association (NBA) this report published in Jan 2005, provides a comprehensive review of the UK food and farming marketplace. It highlights the key issues blocking the industry and provides some practical advice on how farmers can overcome them.

Company

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 13:39:59 +0000

We are a private company set up in 2002. The co-founders, John and Alison are joint owners and share a passion for helping farmers to change the status quo. John is a Northumberland farmer and Alison a marketing professional.

We are not a trade association, lobbying organisation or non-government organisation (i.e. NGO). We have no members or corporate sponsors telling us what to do. This means that we can work on projects that we believe in and like the feel of. We are only funded by individuals or trade associations for specific projects and bring together the right mix of marketing professionals when needed. This keeps overheads to a minimum. Projects are costed out on a day-rate basis. We then work with other highly skilled marketing professionals, agencies and companies to deliver any work.

About Us

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 13:32:22 +0000

Our purpose is to help farmers to produce consumer-facing marketing activity.

Help farmers to link up with the marketing world and use these skills for themselves.
Put the media in touch with farmers and farmers in touch with the media, to ensure that real stories are heard first-hand. We are not another spokesperson or industry filter.
Help farmers to develop their own marketing activity.We don’t want to be another body that controls what is delivered on behalf of farmers. We want farmers to have the freedom to produce what they want, as this leads to huge creativity and market innovation.