Gorgie Farm set to host market

Published on Tuesday 31 August 2010 17:46

EDINBURGH'S community farm is set to host a new farmers' market - and may eventually sell meat they have reared.

Gorgie City Farm, which has been educating south west Edinburgh about rural life in the very urban surroundings of Gorgie Road for almost 30 years, has asked the council for permission to run a farmers' market on one weekend every month.

General manager David Drury said he hopes to attract many of the farmers who currently trade in Castle Street every Saturday, as well as creating a greater platform for Gorgie City Farm's own products.

He said: "We're always looking for new ideas to generate a bit of interest in the farm which have some sort of connection with food production and rural activities. We don't know how popular or profitable it's going to be.

"We have our own product stall on the farm where we sell some of the vegetables and fresh fruit that we grow, and some eggs, but demand far outstrips supply.

"We always sell more than we are able to produce so there is definitely a gap in the market."

However, Mr Drury hopes to appeal to farmers who will potentially trade at the farm to keep prices low.

He added: "One of the problems we foresee is pricing. The farmers that take their goods to market hope to sell them on at a premium, at prices above what they get selling it to the big supermarkets, because they're selling it on as local produce produced by local people.

"However, that model isn't going to work in an area like Gorgie, which is close to a number of areas of depravation.

"People aren't going to want to pay a premium, so we're hoping to attract farmers who will support what we're trying to do and sell their goods on at a reasonable price.

"Most of the visitors at our existing product stall are very supportive of the idea of the farmers' market. It's in line with the ethos of the farm and it could prove to be quite profitable. Like everywhere else, our business costs are going up so we're always looking at new ways to bring in money."

Mr Drury said in the long-term these initiatives could also include rearing animals on the farm for slaughter.

He added: "One of our functions at Gorgie City Farm is to demonstrate to people, particularly children, where their food comes from.

"To this end we would like to create an animal welfare friendly animal rearing programme. Farmyard animals are not kept as pets, they're reared to enter the food chain. Ultimately, if you're a pig reared on a farm your ultimate destination is going to be the dinner table."

A spokesman for the National Farmers' Union said the proposals at Gorgie City Farm were in line with the ambitions expressed at a recent Scottish Farmers Markets Partnership (SFMP] meeting to promote, support and build capacity for farmers' markets in Scotland on a sustainable basis.

Douglas Watson, National Development Officer for the SFMP, said: "The development and implementation of the project will provide a strong platform for the expansion and development of farmers' markets in Scotland for the future."

Essential Edinburgh, which runs the weekly Farmers' Market on Castle Street, declined to comment.