Tombuie Smokehouse

Sally Crystal

Aberfeldy, Perthshire
Chairman of the Scottish Farmers' Markets Association

Filed 01 Jun 06
©www/land-care.org.uk

In 1987 the farm underwent diversification with the development of a smokehouse. In 1991 we started producing smoked venison, smoked cheeses, and fresh venison and fresh lamb - most of which was grown and reared on our own farm.

It was difficult to begin with: such a venture being unheard at the beginning. Everybody thought we were absolutely daft. Traceability, what’s traceability? Farm to fork, what’s farm to fork? Supermarkets – you’ll never compete with them. But more and more as the years have gone past we have seen how very important it is to have local food being available to the public.

Sally Crystal
Tombuie Smokehouse, Aberfeldy
(To enlarge photo Click Here)

Photo©Kimpton Graphics

As the years went on, my husband and I have made the business grow. We are selling throughout the Scotland, to all parts of England and to certain parts of the EC. It has not been easy but we’ve enjoyed doing it. My enthusiasm for farmers’ markets has made us achieve our ultimate aim: to get our produce direct to the public.

Farmers’ markets were set up about 6 years ago. I was reminded today that they were set up with very little government help, and since then have done it all themselves. We now have something in the region of 300 producers throughout Scotland: small producers achieving just what we are doing – selling our goods direct to the public.

As farmers we have also been able to get our message across: take your products direct to the public, and tell them that we’re not just landlords or landowners reaping the benefits of subsidy while sitting doing nothing, enjoying our big cars and certainly doing very little work. Far from it. we’re incredibly hard working, incredibly enthusiastic people who are struggling and achieving to keep our farms going, be it medium or small. And that is what is so important, and that is why I took on the task of chairman of the Scottish Association of Farmers Markets last year. I hope to increase what the Association is doing so that there is a market in every town in Scotland every week. Then we can really start offering choice to the public.

I am realistic enough to know that we can never compete with the supermarkets. I have listened today of those who have said that the supermarkets are all-powerful, and they are. But, I don’t want to down them too much because we can work with them. At the end of the day, I think we can change their perception with the pressure that they are going to have over the next decade from the general public, from the likes of yourselves, from the likes of the Scottish Countryside Alliance doing what they’re doing - by promoting Scottish food, by promoting local food, by telling the public about farmers, about the rural way of life, and the importance that it has in our everyday lives. In that way we can change supermarket perception; not by downing them, not by criticising them but hopefully by working with them.

I think that the Scottish Association of Farmers Markets are beginning to do that. We know that we have got a long way to go, but we do know that the general public is on our side - we just have to see the increased footfall coming to the Farmers' Markets. We know from the standpoint of Tombuie Smokehouse that our sales have rocketed, and do remember that we are achieving sales at the maximum margin direct to the public. This is where we can win over the supermarkets, because we are not reliant on a third party to add their profit margin. We are going out, we are going direct, we are reaping the benefits of selling at this high margin.

The Scottish Association of Farmers' Markets is hoping to do very much more than just set up and encourage markets throughout Scotland. We are hoping in the long run to do very much more, to get producers together, to make a really important network of producers that are able to sell in the long run to the bigger organisations. Such organisations may not necessarily be the supermarkets but certainly to our big organisations such as hotel chains etc. It is with the help of conferences such as this, that we get the word across – how important it is to have local food on the table for our visitors, be they from this country or from abroad. It is important that they have a chance to sample our local produce.

Trying to persuade hotels and restaurants is not easy, but we are getting there. The more publicity we have the more likely we are to win. At the end of the day it would be lovely if every single hotel, restaurant, cafeteria throughout the country is able to boast some local produce on its menu. That is what we are trying to achieve in SAFM, the Scottish Association of Farmers' Markets.

I do appreciate what the Scottish Countryside Alliance is doing. It has worked tirelessly for us over the last two years. The Scottish Food Fortnight is one of the most important, innovative two weeks of hard slog, but it works. It is putting the word across, it’s making people understand the importance of good, healthy, local produce and how important it is to our local rural economies.

Most of us are small farmers. We don’t survive unless we can sell our goods. We certainly won’t survive if we have to sell them through a third party. So if we have the help of the likes of the SCA, of the likes of the government departments, Visit Scotland etc, fighting our cause and helping us achieve our aims, at the end of the day we will all save our farms and the rural economy will be much stronger.

Thank you.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

Land-Care is grateful to Tony Andrews, CEO Scottish Countryside Alliance, and to Dick Playfair of Playfair Walker for the invitation to attend the conference in a media capacity, the opportunity to participate in both formal and informal discussion, and for their help in providing Land-Care with transcripts of the papers presented.

No responsibility for errors or omissions in the transcription process can be taken by SCA, Playfair Walker or Land-Care.

Kimpton Graphics is a division of Land-Care.

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Tombuie Smokehouse

Sally Crystal

Aberfeldy, Perthshire
Chairman of the Scottish Farmers' Markets Association

Filed 01 Jun 06
©www/land-care.org.uk

©www.land-care.org.uk

Further reading recommended by Land-Care

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

MENU

Tombuie Smokehouse

Sally Crystal

Aberfeldy, Perthshire Chairman of the Scottish Farmers' Markets Association

Filed 01 Jun 06 ©www/land-care.org.uk

©www.land-care.org.uk

Further reading recommended by Land-Care

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

Aberfeldy, Perthshire
Chairman of the Scottish Farmers' Markets Association

Filed 01 Jun 06
©www/land-care.org.uk