Market manager Kardien Gerbrands talks about Swindon farmers' markets

LAST week I was invited to talk about farmers’ markets in the UK at a conference in northern Italy, organised to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mantova farmers’ market.

I was a guest speaker alongside a lady from the USA who runs the Dale farmers’ market in Wisconsin, the largest farmers’ market in the States.

I spoke about how things are run in the UK and about national legislation. The Italian government passed a bill in 2005 which defined what makes a market a farmers’ market as opposed to a general one. The audience was surprised that despite farmers’ markets being active in the UK since 1998 there was no national definition or protection for the brand.

I was able to highlight that because of our government’s intransigence on this there are many markets purporting to be farmers’ markets that don’t have strict rules and therefore have stalls selling things that are not producer only. Furthermore it has allowed big business to use the brand for their own ends. I showed how Heinz ‘Farmers’ Market Soup’ was allowed way back in 2006, and more recently supermarket posters advertising Farmers’ Market Bananas.

As part of FARMA, the voluntary members group which inspects our markets to ensure we are sticking to the rules, we have been to the House of Commons on several occasions to discuss this with MPs but to no avail.

Our Sunday market at the Designer Outlet is FARMA certified so come along and get some proper local produce.

Markets

  • Bradford on Avon, third Thursday, 9am to 1pm at Westbury Gardens, BA15 1DE.
  •  Bradford on Avon, last Sunday, 10.30am to 2.30pm at Lamb Yard, BA15 1FG.
  •  Calne, second Saturday, 9am to 1pm, near the library, SN11 0JU.
  •  Corsham, third Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street SN13 0HB.
  •  Devizes, first Saturday, 9am to 1pm, Market Place l Malmesbury, second and fourth Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, Market Cross 
  •  Royal Wootton Bassett, fourth Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street.
  •  Salisbury, weekly on Wednesdays, 9am to 2pm, Poultry Cross.
  •  Swindon Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10am to 4pm, Swindon Designer Outlet, Kemble Drive, SN2 2DY.
  •   Trowbridge, second and fourth Friday, 9am to 1pm, Fore Street, BA14 8HX.
  •  Wanborough, third Saturday, 9am to midday, Wanborough Village Hall.
  •  Warminster, first and third Fridays, 9am to 1pm, central car park, BA 12 9BT