Proper farmers with mud on our boots, growing & delivering 100% organic produce. Leading the
#VegRevolution
since 1986.
Follow our online mag
@WickedLeeksmag
Dear supermarkets, we need to get fair about farming...
We've written an open letter to the CEOS of
@Tesco
@sainsburys
@asda
@Morrisons
@AldiUK
@LidlGB
calling for change to save British family farms.
Find out more and sign our petition at
It'd be the worst time: late April/May is the hungry gap, when the winter crops have finished & summer crops aren't yet ready. We have so little ready to harvest that we have to temporarily stop our UK Only veg box, because we often don't have 8 British vegetables to fill it with
We'll still have food, says a senior Leaver: “We won’t be able to get certain foods like bananas or tomatoes but it’s not like we won’t be able to eat. And we’ll be leaving at a time when British produce is beginning to come into season so it’s the best possible time to leave.”
Incredible scenes in Sicily, captured by Pietros, an organic blood orange farmer. Mount Etna is very important to Sicilians, who say that Etna's mood is their mood 🌋
‘The government have abdicated responsibility- to Tesco’. Guy Sigh-Watson outside parliament this morning. It’s almost time for our
#GetFairAboutFarming
petition to be debated.
He signed! Guy has made Riverford an employee-owned business. Here’s to commercial success without greed, here’s to a better way of farming, and here’s to hope!
#employeeownership
#organic
#ethicalbusiness
It’s debate day in parliament for our
#GetFairAboutFarming
petition. We’ve brought 49 scarecrows with us, representing the 49% of farmers who fear they’ll go out of business in the next 12 months. Is this the day we start to see some seeds of change ? It couldn’t be more urgent🌱
Perplexed by plastic?
Riverford founder pursues a 12 year obsession, calling on Gove to show sustained leadership to create a unified recycling system that will help us all do the right thing.
@recycle_now
#RecycleWeek
British farming needs your help. Farmers are leaving the business - supermarket behaviour is a leading cause. We're calling for change & asking supermarkets to get fair about farming. Help save British family farms by signing the petition: .
According to Hugh’s
#WarOnPlastic
, it’s up to 42% more expensive in the supermarkets to buy fruit & veg loose, compared the equivalent in plastic packaging - this is environmental madness. We need to cut pointless plastic &encourage citizens to choose the most sustainable option.
We had some unexpected guests returned accidentally in a veg box last week... Before returning them to their rightful owner we thought we'd give them a little tour of the farm!
So frustrating. 13 of the 36 are considered 'highly hazardous pesticides'. 4 are highly toxic to bees, 1 contaminates water and 1 is highly toxic to aquatic organisms. Nature is in decline, we need to act, not lag behind!
In these troubled times, something to put a smile on any farmer’s face…
After the incredibly wet winter we were worried that the fields might not dry in time, but the last few days of sun have meant we’re just 2 days late planting lettuce in a south-facing, well drained field.
Ever tried to find any of Tesco's farms on a map? Rosedene Farm sounds like a lovely place... You won't get far though. It's another fake farm brand.
Why do they need to fabricate farms? Because they can't offer commitment to any real farms.
Rosedene Farms Strawberries, only £1.59. Perfect for making a refreshing Eton Mess, and being deliciously devoured by messy eaters of all ages.
That's true value.
Dear supermarkets, we need to get fair about farming...
We've written an open letter to the CEOS of
@Tesco
@sainsburys
@asda
@Morrisons
@AldiUK
@LidlGB
calling for change to save British family farms.
Find out more and sign our petition at
After winter in barns, the cows
@riverforddairy
are beyond thrilled to be out again. They're kept off pasture during the wettest months to protect the precious soil, which is at the heart of organic farming. Destroying soil would also mean no grass for the cows. Look at them go!
This is so sad!
Most of the fruit we see in supermarkets is from overseas, but apples & pears are a staple of seasonal eating in the UK, & the British season should see us through 6 months or so of the year. We can't lose one of our few national fruits.
“16.9 thousand tonnes of pesticides are applied each year in the UK... Our streams, ponds, hedgerows are contaminated... It’s hardly surprising our wildlife is declining”
@DaveGoulson
#PeoplesWalkforWildlife
@ChrisGPackham
After creating a stale seed bed to give the weeds a head start, we run a flame weeder over the soil to singe & kill the weeds. In the coming weeks this field will be full with fairly weed-free organic salad. Just one of our ways of avoiding using pesticides/weedkillers.
#Farm24
It’s a big day for us tomorrow - and potentially for farmers across the UK. Our
#GetFairAboutFarming
petition will be debated in parliament and we’ll be there to watch it. Thank to all of you who’ve supported this campaign so far - let’s hope this is the start of real change.
'It is not a choice between farming or nature, but how we marry the two... Sustainable farming can play a massive role in the solutions, but isn’t even on the COP26 agenda' Great read from
@herdyshepherd1
#COP26
@UnHerd
Just 1 of the worrying stats to come from
@PAN_UK
's analysis of government data on pesticide use.
Glyphosate use has also risen by 16% since their last review.
There is a better way! We have been growing organic food for 35+ years.
More on
@wickedleeksmag
We're veg enthusiasts but even we draw a line at turnips. People don't want to "cherish" winter turnips
@theresecoffey
.
We prefer to celebrate celeriac, parsnips & more in winter. We do enjoy tender summer turnips though, a different beast altogether!
The ignorance in this is astounding. 29 March is the beginning of the Hungry Gap, when there is very little British produce & around 70% of UK fruit & veg is imported. 'Orchards in Monmouth' couldn't feed the country in September(when orchard fruit are in season), let alone April
Conservative MP David Davies says warnings about food shortages in a no-deal Brexit are a scare story because there are "orchards in Monmouth where we grow plenty of fruit and vegetables."
We're sending a huge thank you to our drivers who've faced challenging conditions this week. We've received lots of messages from grateful customers finding their boxes on snowy doorsteps. Well done team.
#snow
The news is out! We're soon to be a 100% employee-owned business. We are honoured that founder Guy has entrusted us with his life's work (he won't going anywhere anytime soon though, will stick around in the same capacity as a guide, supplier, spokesperson & more).
Organic vs non-organic. When a picture says a thousand words.
These photos were both taken yesterday on stone fruit farms in Spain, both in the same area, Badajoz. The 1st is an organic fruit farm that supplies us, the 2nd is a non-organic farm.
Which would you rather eat from?🍑
Tomorrow is the big day: we will officially become
#employeeowned
.
To mark the occasion,
@BBCBreakfast
will be with us on the farm for live interviews with Guy and staff.
Watch live from 6am!
100,000 of you have signed our
#GetFairAboutFarming
petition! Thank you so much! Our work doesn't stop here. Please keep sharing it; the more signatures we get, the stronger the chance that the government will take notice:
We're delighted to share the news that Riverford has been ranked top veg box provider by Which? 🎉
Which? - the UK’s leading independent consumer body - also named us as their recommended provider of fruit and veg boxes. That's worth celebrating!
60 tonnes of perfect potatoes rejected...
A farmer spoke to us about his experiences growing for supermarkets - but only on the condition that it was anonymous. We need to
#GetFairAboutFarming
. Find out more and help us save British family farms:
No thank you.
In 2016 we turned our back on discount marketing, to be fair to all.
How does a bank offer you £100 to open an account? An broadband provider offer the first 6 months half price? By making someone else pay for it.
Instead everyone pays the same price – a fair price
7 weeks ago we called on the UK’s 6 biggest supermarkets to:
🚜 Pay what they agreed to pay
🚜 Buy what they committed to buy
🚜 Agree on fair spec
🚜Commit for the long term
🚜 Pay on time
We’ve had…silence…
Add your voice ➡️
#GetFairAboutFarming
Fake farms are used by supermarkets to create a sense that buyers are getting farm-fresh produce from traceable sources. But behind the ploy lurk harmful farming practices, pollution and environmental devastation
@wickedleeksmag
takes a deep dive:
"Artificial fertilisers are like a sort of junk food for plants" Well said
@herdyshepherd1
on the huge damage nitrogen fertilisers do to our ecosystem from the soil upward.
#Regenerativeagriculture
offers a real alternative to chemical use for farmers:
What if... the tables turned and organic food wasn't labelled as anything, it's just 'food'.
And non-organic has to be labelled instead.
We can dream 🥕
We’d like to play a game with you for this month’s Book Worms
#bookclub
! 📚
Something to get the creative juices flowing today, in the imaginative spirit of
#WorldBookDay
Close your eyes, &
#imagine
yourself stepping outside in 2050, in a world ‘where things turned out okay’
Just madness. Trade deals like so disrespect & undercut British farmers, who are struggling enough already. It also opens us to meat with lower welfare standards, let alone consider the food miles...
Help save British family farms by signing our petition:
Jacob Rees Mogg: "I want cheaper food. I want hormone injected beef from Australia. I've eaten beef in Australia, it's delicious. There's nothing wrong with it."
Thank you for believing in us.
For believing that there is an alternative;
That humanity is greater than the sum of our greed.
Wishing you a
Happy Christmas
And good sprouts,
From Guy Singh-Watson
& all at Riverford
You won't find any
#BlackFriday
discounts at Riverford. Heavy discounts are only possible by making someone else pay for it, through inflated prices for existing customers, squeezing farmers or paying staff less. Saying no to discount marketing is fairest for everyone.
60p Italian eggs aren't the answer to shortages!
1. At a time when many are struggling, 60p is an enticing price. Many shoppers will opt for these, who can blame them? But offering eggs this cheap completely devalues them&suggests it's possible to produce them for this-it's not!
"To be told by people who have no idea how their food is produced that this is 'project fear' makes me incandescent with rage" - Riverford founder Guy Watson on
@BBCFoodProg
talking about what a no-deal Brexit could mean for our food.
Listen again
Could Alison in Cornwall be our most patient/resourceful customer?
"I knitted a dish cloth from the string from the top of Riverford bags. I always unpick it & never throw anything away.. I had an untidy drawer full.. it kept me busy in isolation & makes washing up more exciting"
Toxins known as 'forever chemicals' have been found in common fruits and vegetables in the UK. Organic farmers never use synthetic pesticides, which can contain these chemicals. Isn't it time we saw some action on this?
@PAN_UK
Thanks
@guardiannews
for recognising our news of becoming a
@BCorporation
.
We're proud to be the second highest-scoring food business overall in the UK, behind the wonderful
@divinechocolate
.
Here's to using business as a force for good!
Based on inflation rates since 1970, a whole chicken today should be £6.80, but the reality is £2.40. Likewise, milk should be 73p per pint, instead we pay 50p.
The drive for cheap food has to stop - the true cost on the environment is much bigger. An eye-opening piece.
Did you know that we have a dedicated box repair team at Riverford? Last year we fixed over 136,000 boxes – that’s 12 lorry loads full & the equivalent of 47 tonnes of carbon from manufacturing new boxes. Sometimes the simplest fixes really are the best!
Almost half (49%) of British fruit & veg farmers fear they'll go out of business within the next year - & supermarkets are a leading cause. It's time to get fair about farming. Watch & sharing Guy's video.
Find out more,via
Research has found a third of fruit & veg grown is wasted, largely because they are the wrong shape or size.
Have we forgotten that we are producing food, not kitchen ornaments?
#wonkyveg
#wastenotwantnot
"Packaged fruit & veg is no safer than loose." In fact, bacteria lasts longer on plastic, for up to 3 days, which means single-use plastic packaging does not help to protect from coronavirus. The advice: buy loose & wash, says the experts on
#Waronplastic
@HughFW
.
Two years ago this month, Riverford became employee owned, and today we're celebrating being one of the biggest EO companies in the country - we're proud to have risen two places to number 28 in the top 50 list from
@employeeowned
@RM2partnership
#EODay
#wearethebusiness
We've asked drivers to refrain from knocking to protect themselves & customers from the spread of coronavirus.
This wonderful note was left out by the Whitehead family: "Our 2 year old &I decided to provide a bit of cheer to our veg man on his rather lonely round this morning" 💚
We're delighted to have won an award for Best Regenerative/Biodynamic Farm in the
@countryandtown
Sustainability Awards, sponsored by
@skymineddiamond
"A true pioneer for what a regenerative business can be," is how the judges described us. Thank you very much team!
Yesterday, our
#GetFairAboutFarming
petition was debated in parliament. We’re so heartened by the support we’ve received from every single one of you who signed our petition, to those in the industry who spoke out&the politicians on all sides who spoke in support of farmers.
Do you agree that artificial pesticides should be banned from sale, online and in person, to the general public? If so, sign
@jackwallington
's petition and help nature 🐞🪲
Conservationists, ecologists and nature lovers - I’ve done all I can over the last five and a half months to get this petition over the line of 10,000. We’ve done well to get it to 6,630 - thank you everyone - but we can’t do it without your help now.
“Education is key. We need farming back on the curriculum. Let’s get kids on farms. We need to eat less meat but more sustainable meat. Let them see the animals, see the milking and choose for themselves”
@1GarethWynJones
answers
@GeorgeMonbiot
#OFC18
#ORFC18
@oxfordfarming
We’re off! We’re hearing some positive observations from MPs that they’ve heard from many of their constituents on this issue: from north Devon to Putney. A huge thank you is due to each of you who helped support this campaign and get us here today
#GetFairAboutFarming
In 2017, we were the first company to discover beech nets. A by-product from PEFC-certified sustainable forestry, the wood would otherwise go to waste. They can be disposed of in your compost heap or food compost bin
Choose less plastic?
#ChooseRiverford
Here's a look at our new 400kw solar energy installation.Our new panels make up the largest subsidy-free solar installation in the South West. The carbon emissions saved are estimated to be the equivalent of planting 13,000 football fields worth of trees!Special thanks to
@becouk
For any families in the South Devon area, the wonderful
@Foodincommun
(who we donate to weekly) are offering free fresh food boxes to those who many need it. No child should go hungry.
Speak to the team to find out more.
#Endchildfoodpoverty
#MarcusRashford
Struggling to afford to eat? Anyone in this predicament including families whose children are eligible for free school meals, are welcome to a free fresh food box. Email your name and contact number in confidence to foodincommunitycic
@gmail
.com
#totnes
#devon
@MarcusRashford
No, we're not cheap. But cheap food is the cause of many of our problems, & paid for many times over in terms of the cost to the environment & health.
Our prices represent the true cost of producing food that is grown, packed &delivered with respect for nature & the environment.
It's totally immoral to exploit high inflation to create excessive profits, especially when it relates to food which is an absolute necessity, which is exactly what supermarkets have been doing. They should be held accountable. Do you agree?
10K!
We've hit 10K signatures on our petition calling for government to play their part in making sure farmers are treated fairly by supermarkets. Not signed yet? Do so here:
The UK's biodiversity is in decline and in recent years, the biggest cause has been the intensification of agriculture. Nature-friendly farming is key. Co-owner Ed describes some of the species we have on the farm, and what we're doing to protect them
#WorldWildlifeDay
What a week this frog has had... we found it in a pallet of chard from our French farm. We agreed it'd be much happier back where it came from, so sent it back in the next lorry to be released on arrival. We can't imagine many European tree frogs experience 1,600km journeys!
@CarolineRussell
Very worrying that those who are leading the process have no clue of the reality. We have shared the tweet and had quite the reaction and support. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
What 3 steps can you take to reduce your carbon footprint from food according to
#ClimateChangeTheFacts
?
1. Don't waste anything
2. Don't buy airfreighted food
3. Significantly reduce meat intake, especially beef & lamb.
"This could save 2 tonnes of CO2 per person per year"
Great advice by
@timspector
as per usual:
"Go organic, even just a little, Herbicides were generally considered safe before we realised the importance of microbes, both to the soil and our guts and immune systems..."
Guy's news: Trouble in the Shires
Farming isn’t paying. In many areas, it hasn’t paid for years. Farmers have tightened their belts, drained their savings, borrowed, and sent their partners off the farm to work.
➡️
Thanks to
@RichardFoordLD
for his thoughts post-debate. It was fantastic to see the groundswell of cross party support and recognition of the urgent challenges faced by farmers.
#GetFairAboutFarming
Positive news for hen welfare 🐓 - Morrisons are the first supermarket to stop selling caged eggs, now selling 100% free-range.
A big step in the right direction, but the organic label still offers shoppers assurance of the highest animal welfare standards
Let's make lots of noise and push to extend public access to green spaces. Find the link to the open letter by
@Right_2Roam
to send to your MP on
@wickedleeksmag
.
🌳🏔️🏞️
Speaking in a panel on how to encourage sustainable diets,
@BootstrapCook
says: ‘I think a sustainable diet means different things to different people. My concern with broad-brush definitions is a lot of people don’t have these choices.’
#FoodMattersLive2018
Did you catch
@rivercide_live
? If not, you can watch this brilliant piece of live investigative journalism at and get involved by taking some of the steps
@GeorgeMonbiot
suggests to help save our beautiful rivers.
Coronavirus thread:
It’s been a crazy week for shops across the UK – & no different at Riverford. We’ve seen unprecedented demand at very short notice, putting huge strain on our box-packing lines & drivers. To help us catch up, we've had to temporarily stop taking any new orders
#BeastfromtheEast
veg heroes!
Our teams are used to working in all sorts of British weather conditions, but last week surprised us all. Our intrepid drivers braved the storm & delivered to most of you regardless; even if it meant part slippery walk or a sledge. Well done all!
Thick snow can't stop our delivery teams from getting our organic veg to customers' doors... even if the last leg of the journey has to be by sledge. Great idea Andrew, delivering to customer Hilary in Sevenoaks ❄️
If you love Plymouth’s trees, fill out this survey.
@STRAWPlymouth
are fighting to save 129 mature trees on Armada Way. The survey is dreadfully worded and full of traps. Don’t trip up, reject the redevelopment plan by answering them all 'no'.
We've had a significant update on our
#GetFairAboutFarming
campaign with a response from DEFRA. Thank you to all who signed and shared our petition - and please keep doing it; the more signatures we have, the greater the impact. This is just the start. ()
Today is
#EarthDay2020
. This yearly event has never been more relevant.
Right now the world is taking a breather. We have a huge opportunity to embrace some of the changes we're currently forced into, once this is over. Slowing down can do a world of difference. Who's with us?
Did you see Guy on the latest episode of
@BBCCountryfile
?
It’s a brilliant look at unfairness within grocery supply chains and how it impacts farmers, highlighting the scale of the issue. It’s available on
@BBCiPlayer
now
#GetFairAboutFarming
It's a big thumbs up from this wonky aubergine! 👍🍆
Our veg box packers do get a lot of laughs from veg like so. The most common wonky (and often rude) culprits our carrots.
#WonkyVeg
Enjoy a moment of calm on the farm...
Years ago we had a disaster with this field after ploughing, when heavy rain caused most of the soil to slide into the neighbour's garden. So now we just let it be. It's utterly tranquil & incredibly rich with wildlife.