This Saturday - Fix the Food Chain Parade

Do you want to support a thriving yet planet-friendly farming industry? Then come and join us this Saturday 17th of October.

To finish off our summer of action when we have been out and about campaigning at festivals farmers markets and other events across Birmingham to build support for our campaign we will be having a parade through the city centre on Saturday.

The Parade will consist of a chain of people including:

• Chicken and cow sandwich-boards (see above)
• Soy-bean sacks and maracas
• Farmers with placards calling for planet-friendly farming
• A lumberjack with a chainsaw
  

The parade will start at 10:30 in front of Tesco on New Street, up to Victoria Square, along Colmore Row, down Church Street, across to Ludgate Hill, up to St Pauls Square, along Brook Street, along Graham Street up Frederick St and along Warstone Lane where we'll finish at the 24 carrot farmers market in the Jewellery quarter.

What's wrong with the current food chain?

Animals in British factory farms are pumped full of protein to speed up their growth. Soy is a major source of protein but to produce enough, precious habitats like rainforests are cleared in South America to make way for vast soy plantations.

Destroying these forests increases climate-changing gases in the atmosphere. In addition, small-scale farmers are forced off their land by soy plantations and can sink into poverty because they are unable to grow food for their families and/or cash crops.

But the global chain doesn't only affect remote locations and people. UK farmers and ultimately the public also pay the price because we are all more vulnerable to fluctuating commodity prices.

So how do we fix the Food Chain?

The Food Chain campaign isn't about getting rid of meat and dairy farming - it's about getting Government to revolutionise it.

We want to see them change the deal behind our meals. This means:

• Shifting subsidies away from factory farming.
• Supporting farmers to grow their own animal feed.
• Supermarkets offering fairer deals for everyone.

What can I do?

That depends on how much time you have and whether you want to get more involved.

You could

• Parade with us on Saturday
• If you have limited time but are in the vicinity you could sign a Fix the Food Chain postcard which will be sent to your local MP
  
• E-mail your MP here
  
• Come to the once a month Food Chain campaign meeting and get more involved - for more information e-mail Joe Peacock at campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk

The sun is predicted to come out on Saturday so what a better day for helping the environment, UK farmers and stocking up on some local food at the farmers market all in one go!