Sting in farmers’ tale

I WRITE to congratulate the Berwick Rotary Club for its Farmers’ Market held in Narre Warren on 16 March.
I munched my way through a few magnificent apples and had the aroma from a bunch of fresh basil filling my office.
What a fabulous range of produce was available everything from free range eggs, a myriad delectable sauces, fresh local honey and herbs, and a vast array of vegetables and fruit.
The strawberries were magnificent as were, of course, the famous Gembrook potatoes and the tomatoes from Jindivick.
Homemade chorizo and other specialty meats were also available, along with buffalo cheese, and vegetable seedlings for people wishing to grow their own.
What a treasure to have healthy, fresh produce, including a range of organics, to provide choice and variety to consumers in the area.
However, there is also a serious side to supporting these local farmers’ markets, of which Berwick Rotary is the latest example.
As multinational supermarket corporations use only their preferred suppliers, often only one in a given area, many of my constituent farmers are losing out and are no longer supplying the major chains.
They are instead being bullied and dictated to and cannot compete with the reduced prices paid to preferred suppliers.
The offshoot of this is loss of business for them and loss of choice for consumers, who value the effort, time and dedication taken by local people to prepare the food for our tables.
Visiting this fabulous market again brought home to me how vital it is for us all to support all our farmers by frequenting the local produce markets, exercising our choice and supporting local industries directly.
Tammy Lobato,
Gembrook MP.