As much as I dislike the supermarkets and what they represent, the undeniable convenience they offer has cemented them as an inevitable element of modern consumerism, even for an anti like me.
But whenever I find myself lured through those sliding doors, I seem to unconsciously gravitate towards the meat and dairy section.
Not because of any intention to purchase, but because I like to keep an eye on what we're up against.
Recently I've noticed how the Union Jack and Red Tractor emblems - which shoppers look to for British assurance - have become consistent components in supermarket advertising campaigns.
These logos are emblazoned on fridge doors, plastered onto advertising banners and slapped onto packaging to lure origin conscious consumers to add these goods to their trollies.
Shockingly, you can turn over a huge percentage of items only to read that the produce is of UK OR EUROPEAN origin, rather than having purely British credentials as the Union Jack might suggest.
It seems our perceptive friends in supermarket marketing have twigged onto the growing public appetite for British produce and are using it to their advantage.
As a farmer, it is incredibly heartening to think that shoppers are actively prioritising food choices based on British provenance but equally horrifying that these good intentions are being taken advantage of by our supermarkets.
Looking beyond the Red Tractors and Union Jacks, my gaze deviates towards what really interests me.... price.
As I scan across the various offerings, I notice that the premium cuts of beef are priced on a par with the beef we sell directly to customers.
Prices I know are just sustainable enough to cover our rearing and butchers costs while remaining competitive for consumers.
And it registers with me just how far below the cost of prodction this supermarket produce realistically sits for it to justify the many additional links in the supply chain that it has been subjected to.
Purchasing, processing, packaging, distribution, marketing, sales - each link allocated a generous cut before any whiff of remuneration for the farmer.
The reality is that these dominating, multi-national corporations are paying the farmers who supply them nowhere near enough to cover production.
While simultaneously undercutting those farmers and growers grappling with selling from the farm gate as they attempt to cling onto some of the return they've worked so hard for.
I stare at the packaged meat sitting on the refrigerated shelves and the dairy produce on the next aisle along - proudly labelled as British and which the supermarkets have shamelessly underpaid for.
I know the hard work that has gone into producing it and I'm disillusioned.
I think of the farmers, like us, being forced to accept a fraction of the final retail price for their goods while the supermarkets and processors swoop in and take the lions share.
My thoughts drift back to primary school and being introduced to the Fairtrade movement.
I remember feeling inspired by the concept of fairness and justice.
And can recall listening to the lesson and understanding, even as a child, the importance of protecting overseas farmers from exploitation by middlemen, buyers, and unfair trading systems.
The setting may differ but the principle is the same.
And yet, instead of demanding fairness, we continue to accept a British retail system where our own farmers are subject to immense financial strain due to unfair payment for their work.
Where supermarkets and processors force prices down to unprofitable levels, leaving farmers to shoulder all the cost burden, enabling retailers to keep their prices low.
Next year, 2026, will be the first year British farmers attempt to remain viable without any direct funding from the government.
Funding which has been subsidising domestic food production in the UK since the post-war era, when the Agricultural Act of 1947 brought in the first deficiency paymemts to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of food at prices consumers could afford.
A subsidy system, not without controversy or mixed opinion, but one that has irrefutably played a role in ensuring availability and affordability of British produce for almost 80 years.
It will be interesting to see how the industry fairs as these cuts begin to bite, especially if processors continue to ignore the increasing pressures on farm profitability.
Without massive improvements in supply chain fairness, without workable paymemts filtering down to farmers, and without politicians giving a care about either, it is difficult to visualise a future where traditional farming systems can sustain this transition.
But then again, perhaps that's all part of the big plan?
#knowyourfood
#knowyourfarmer
#farmtofork
#FoodLabelling
#supplychainfairness
#fairtrade
#britishisbest
#together
#rabi
#yellowwellies
#farmerresilience
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
NFU - National Farmers' Union
