The Farmers Mart Feb-Mar 2018 - Issue 55 | Page 4

4 EDITOR’S INTRO FEB/MAR 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk Its been an eventful couple of months since the last issue of Farmers Mart. We’ve seen two very different twitter/social media campaigns in the form of Veganuary and Februdairy, both promoting different life style choices and both gaining a plethora of media attention. DURING January the media coverage was looking at the growth in vegan food sales, the attention gained for Februdairy was centred around some of the aggressive comments and in some cases death threats aimed at those working in the Dairy industry. Februdairy did a very good job at highlighting the UK dairy industry, as well as dispelling some of the myths being claimed regarding the way the industry operates. It was a pity that the campaign became shrouded in on-line abuse and myths being ped- dled as truths by some sectors of the vegan community. ‘ Februdairy did a very good job at highlighting the UK dairy industry ’ The beginning of February saw the UK government attend a state visit to China where trade was discussed including several deals being made. One of which included the lifting of the 20-year beef ban and an export deal worth £500 million. There were also other deals negotiated, including exporting a wide range of dairy products to China which is great news for the industry. At the end of February saw the country covered in a blanket of snow and battered by high winds. The winter weather af- fected many farmers across the agricultural industry, with dairy farms having to dump milk due to tankers being unable to ac- cess farms because of the snow, through to sheep farmers across the country digging out sheep from snow drifts. The fishing industry was also affected when the weather caused a natural disaster, with tens of thousands of marine life being washed up on the UK’s east coast. Yorkshire Wildlife trust working alongside local fishermen managed to rescue the lobsters who were still alive with the intent of releasing them back into the sea once the weather improves. Lobsters were one of the few marine animals whom were still alive. Similar scenes have been reported down the North Sea coast including Norfolk and Kent. Editor, Jason ISSUE 55 • FEB/MAR 2018