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West Peckham |
| The Village of West Peckham in Kent is a well known beauty spot. The tenth Century parish church of St Dunstans and the village pub overlook the green making it a popular place to visit on summer evenings. Laying at the intersection of the Greensand Way and the Wealdway it is also frequented by walkers and others who come to enjoy the beautiful surrounding countryside, making use of the extensive public footpath network in the area. |
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Local Agriculture |
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The area has long been a centre of fruit growing, the cultivation of apples and pears as well as soft fruit including strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. The local landscape as we view it today is a legacy of this local tradition, small orchard sized fields divided by hedgerows and windbreaks. It is this patchwork overlaying the soft rolling countryside that has earned the county the title 'The Garden of Engand'. The local farms employed a large percentage of the village population and were embedded in the local economy. At harvest time whole families would work in the nut platts, orchards and strawberry fields, this picture shows a group of local women during apple picking in one of the West Peckham orchards which now grows strawberries. |
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Strawberries today |
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The tradition of growing high quality fruit remains with award winning producers in West Peckham and the neighbouring parish of Mereworth. The article on the left about Marion Regan of Hugh Lowe farms who grows strawberries in West Peckham can be found HERE. They produce a high quality crop and in 2004 to much fanfare they became the official supplier of strawberrries to Wimbledon where approximately 23 tons of them are eaten by spectators every year according to an article in The Independent HERE. |
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The environment |
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As well as producing high quality fruit Hugh Lowe Farms are also a member
of 'LEAF'
(the page on the left HERE),
organisation which is committed to 'A sustainable system of agriculture
that meets the economic needs of farmers and concerned consumers', it's
stated aims are:
Our Mission: 'committed to a viable agriculture' LEAF is committed to a viable agriculture which is environmentally and socially acceptable and ensures the continuity of supply of wholesome, affordable food while conserving and enhancing the fabric and wildlife of the countryside for future generations.
Our Objectives: 'working with farmers for farmers & consumers'
LEAF encourages farmers throughout the world to adopt Integrated Farm Management (IFM) and to promote the benefits of IFM to consumers and raise awareness of the way many farmers are responding to current concerns.
Our Vision: 'joined up management'
Our vision for the future is of a sustainable system of agriculture which meets the economic needs of farmers, addresses the concerns of consumers and minimises any impact on the environment. IFM provides a commonsense and realistic way forward for farmers and produces food that is wholesome and affordable.
Our Values: 'innovation, efficiency and integrity' Within a socially acceptable, environmentally responsible and economically sound framework, we value: teamwork, change, care and concern, innovation, efficiency and integrity. |
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The Waitrose promise |
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Many of our supermarkets and larger retailers consider that they have a responsibility to the customers. They like us to know that when we shop in their store that the goods in our basket are produced fairly and ethically. They seek to re assure us that there has been no exploitation of the workforce or damage to the environment.
The article on the left appears on the Waitrose website and paints a very rosy picture about the way the Hugh lowe Farms manage the environment, and of course there's not a single polytunnel in sight. To read it in full click HERE |
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An English Institution |
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And so we have placed before us images that are quintessentially English - crowds at Wimbledon fortnight, an essential date in the national cultural calendar in high summer indulging in strawberries and cream produced in the rolling farmland of the shires. Strawberries cultivated in the Garden of England as they have been for generations by farmers who not only produce a first class crop but also care deeply about the soil they till and the responsible stewardship of our countryside. |
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Marks & Spencer |
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In Woman & Home magazine Marks and Spencer also reinforce the romantic imagery of strawberry growing. The article says:
We're very lucky in the UK to have ideal strawberry growing conditions. Strawberries like the long days of summer to ripen properly, but they don't like it too hot, and they also like a little protection from the wind and rain - something the mild climate of Kent is ideal for.
See the full page HERE |
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Green and Pleasant Land |
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The photos used for publicity by growers nearly always show
them in open fields of strawberries on sunny summer days. The truth however
is somewhat different, other images of strawberry fields, like the one on
the left, don't appear in the mass media. These are strawberry
beds, long strips of black or blue plastic are embedded in the ground, beneath
each one is a narrow pipe connected to an irrigation network fed from reservoirs.
The strawberries are planted into holes in the plastic bed and the whole
field is then covered with polytunnels. |
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Permanent eyesore |
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All year round there are open plastic beds and frames in the fields which are as much as a visual intrusion as the covered tunnels. Some of the fields permanently contain growbags, others are covered with fleece or plastic at ground level to warm the soil. To comply with planning law the tunnels must be removed every few years but these ones on the left in West Peckham have become permanent because Hugh Lowe Farms have simply left them up and they are now categorised by the local council as unauthorised development, in breach of planning legislation |
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The real story |
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There are of course many more issues surrounding strawberry growing than are revealed in the material generated by public relations consultants working on behalf of the growers. To get an idea of what these are in relation to what is happening around West Peckham look at the ISSUES section. |
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