Jayne Dowle: Heir’s apparent good sense over backing farmers

However, we should all take notice of his latest exhortation – which is that British shoppers must shun imported food and instead focus on supporting our own farmers and food producers. Some might think that a King-in-waiting has no right to speak his mind so freely on such an emotive subject. I say all power to him.

After all, when was the last time you witnessed a politician so eloquent on the matter? I’m scratching my head to even name the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, so little do we hear from that department (it’s Elizabeth Truss by the way). And I can only bring to mind the Opposition spokesperson because she’s a vegan, which says it all really.

At almost 67 – it’s his birthday on Saturday – the Prince of Wales has had plenty of time to form his seasoned opinions. Perhaps he might stand accused of speaking from an uber-traditional and privileged position. With his choice of rural retreats, and no need to spend his days troubling himself with work, he can chat with farmers all day long.

Yet, HRH has the luxury of being able to stand back and see the bigger picture. His argument, which he outlines in the latest edition of Country Life magazine, is that so many of us living “urban lifestyles” take farms, farmers and farming for granted, if we even give them a second thought at all. However, as he spells out, “we rely on farmers to make a contribution to our nation’s food security, environment and prosperity”. This is not just a matter of calling in at the farm-shop to buy a pack of venison sausages, it’s about appealing to our hearts and minds to ask questions about where our food comes from, and to always seek out the home-grown option whenever possible.

He says we live in an uncertain world, and he is right. What guarantees do we have about the future? How can we predict what might happen politically or economically with the foreign countries we rely upon for imports? There are big questions over our membership of the European Union.

We should take nothing for granted. In this, the Prince of Wales is acting not just as a concerned environmentalist, but as future Head of State. His opinions should not be dismissed as the musings of a rich man with too much time on his hands. He has got a very good point. It is time that we got back to basics. We should think local first, regional second, national in general, and try where ever we possibly can to make our purchases in a responsible way.

I don’t wish to tell you where to buy your asparagus, but should you really buy it out of season anyway? It is simply a matter of thinking before you shop; choosing local markets, picking supermarkets which make a point of supporting and encouraging indigenous suppliers and buying direct from the farm gate if we can.

For many urban dwellers, the link between what goes on the plate and what comes out of the field has been lost. There needs to be much more public awareness; some supermarkets are really upping their game here, but it would be nice to see the Government behind it too. As the Prince of Wales says: “It seems to me that the key is to make it as easy as possible for people to know when they are buying British – and why that is a good choice.”

As he is arguing for getting back to basics, I suspect HRH would join me in praising the supermarket Asda for banning Black Friday. This year the Leeds-based retail giant has decided to call a halt to the spendfest imported from the US. Traditionally held the first Friday after Thanksgiving, this event has seen retailers go all out to pull in shoppers with massive discounts on everything from electrical goods to the Christmas turkey (frozen, of course). Asda says “shopper fatigue” has set in. Asda is right.

This particular shopper hopes that this marks a turning point in retailer attitudes. We are British. We should behave like British people and support our own farmers and producers, not give in to every idea from across the Pond that pays no attention to our own traditions. If we want to celebrate something, let’s join with the Prince of Wales and give thanks for the fact that we still have farms and farmers who work hard for us. And what better way to show our gratitude than to buy what they grow?