The Countryside Agency launches a website for its Eat the View initiative to help consumers and producers make the links between the countryside they love and the products they buy.
Countryside Agency Archive

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It's time to 'Eat the View' and help rural recovery - 25 September 2001

No one can be in any doubt that foot and mouth has devastated the English countryside and the lives of many people who live in it. We all need to find ways to help the countryside, its businesses and its communities recover and one vital way to do this is for people to start understanding the links between the food they buy and the countryside they love. To help people make these connections the Countryside Agency has launched a new web site - www.eat-the-view.org.uk - which tells you why what you buy and how it was produced is important, plus how and where to buy local goods.

As a start the Countryside Agency has produced a simple checklist of things you can do to make a difference to your local countryside:

  • Visit your local farm shop and find out more about the products they produce on the farm and the methods they use;
  • Ask your supermarket to stock more local products (check the labels as some organic products are imported);
  • Visit your local Farmers' Market and ask them about how their food is produced;
  • Subscribe to a local 'box' delivery to your door (normally organic, seasonal vegetables, meat or dairy produce);
  • Ask your local village shop whether they stock locally produced products;
  • Most organic produce is sustainable (but check the origin of ingredients on the label are local to your area);
  • Find out what is traditionally grown and produced in your area;
  • Check at the library for your local food directory;
  • Ask at pubs and restaurants whether the menu carries local ingredients or dishes;
  • Check the internet for organic and specialist food suppliers.  

Liz Newton, project director at the Countryside Agency said: "Eat the View was launched in response to Tony Blair's challenge to the Countryside Agency to help consumers understand the connections between the countryside they value and the goods they buy and to improve the market for regional produce.

"Our new guidelines and web site gives people more practical information about the way goods are produced, how this can impact on the countryside and where they can go to buy products that support the countryside. It's also an in-depth source of information for producers, processors and retailers who want to know more about how they can adapt their practices to benefit the local rural economy and environment."

The site has a large number of case studies of different businesses and schemes demonstrating what can be achieved, ranging from organic vegetable growers to a smokehouse in North Yorkshire.

Businesses featured include:

  • Riverford Organic Vegetables, Devon, organic producer of the year 2000 – Riverford supplies thousands of households with boxes of seasonal produce every week;
  • Nidderdale based Bliekers Smoke House smokes trout, cheese and meat all sourced in the locality. The oak chips they use in the smoking process are a by-product of local carpenters. 
  • The Merseyside Local Food for Local People Initiative supports those farmers entering into direct marketing initiatives and is improving the availability of affordable fresh food across Merseyside.  

Liz added: "We all need to be aware of the power we have as consumers. Eat the View aims to encourage consumers and suppliers to think about what and how they buy or produce, and help them make the connection with the benefits they can bring to the local economy and environment."

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