Talamh Beo, Ireland’s farmer-led organisation for Agroecology and Food Sovereignty, has cautiously welcomed the signing of the new Irish Horticulture Grower-Retailer charter. However, the group warns that supermarkets and conventional supply chain solutions alone fail to address the structural crisis in Irish horticulture, where as much as 80% of fruit and vegetables remain imported.
While fair trading conditions for larger growers are necessary, Talamh Beo argues that we must look beyond the supermarket aisle. True national food resilience means expanding domestic production capacity, by establishing and supporting decentralized local food networks.
“The new Charter is a step toward fairer trading, but it doesn’t offer a pathway towards building a better functioning food system” says Janet Power of Talamh Beo. “It’s not just a case of better supermarket terms, we need to embrace a more diversified production and distribution system; we need more farmers growing food in every county, directly feeding their own communities.”
Talamh Beo points to its research mapping the Local food system in Ireland. Alongside the shrinking number of larger-scale growers, they found an “invisible” network of more than 350 Local Food Farms around the country, with around 180 involved in horticulture. These farmers supply high quality, nutrient dense produce through box schemes, farmers’ markets, independent shops, community supported agriculture (CSAs) and other short food supply chain systems, yet they remain largely unrecognized in official policy and on the fringes of existing subsidy and payments systems.
Through its Local Food Policy Framework, Talamh Beo is calling for the government to deliver on two vital elements in order to support this sector:
Institutional Recognition: Formally recognize Local Food Farms within national agricultural policy and provide appropriate supports, including local infrastructure, community hubs, public procurement pathways and other measures
Basic Income for Local Food Farmers: Guarantee income stability through a dedicated Basic Income scheme for farmers supplying domestic markets, ensuring this critical sector can thrive and grow
“The most resilient food system is the one embedded directly in your local community,” added Thomas O’Connor, one of Talamh Beo’s Directors. “If we want to protect Ireland from global supply shocks and climate volatility, the government must guarantee a basic livelihood for local growers and fund the community infrastructure needed to feed our towns and villages.”
