Local farmers set up new business to show the power of NI veg

Vegetable growers across Northern Ireland have combined in a new business collaboration to persuade more consumers to give priority to locally grown produce for their own health and to benefit the industry here and the planet.

The growers have formed Veg NI, a voluntary collective committed to collaboration across the industry in professional customer-focused promotions and public education about the health benefits of local ‘greens’, according to Adrian McGowan, the organisation’s chairman.

Veg NI is also a response to Northern Ireland’s position as a UK region with the lowest consumption of fresh vegetables that are now seen as essential for a healthy diet.

Consumption of locally grown ‘greens’ in the Irish Republic is much higher due to the promotional campaigns of Bord Bia, the Republic’s food and drink marketing body.

Furthermore, the organisation addresses the challenge from the position that 80% of adults and 95% of teenagers do not eat enough vegetables.

“As veg are low in fat and sugar and high in fibre and nutrients, consuming more veg every day is a key way of eating more healthily and will play a part in tackling the UK’s obesity crisis,” Adrian, who farms a wide range of vegetables on his farm of around 400 acres near Killinchy in Co Down, explains.

“We all know vegetables are essential for a balanced and healthy diet, and with less time in transit, local veg is packed with even more vitamins and fewer preservatives, making them a healthier choice."

A former chairman of the Ulster Farmers Union group on vegetables, Adrian grows a 40-strong range of veggies on the farm for local outlets.

His Millbank Farm is a sixth generation business that grows vegetables from swedes to squash, from carrots to kale. The farm also keeps sheep, broiler chickens and some cows.

Adrian is helped by the family especially daughter Emily, the driving force behind the successful and recently expanded Millbank Farm Shop, only six miles from the farm in Saintfield village.

“We bring our fresh produce straight from the field to the shelf, keeping food miles down and taste at its maximum,” Adrian continues.

“All Veg NI members endeavour to farm our lands in ways sympathetic with nature, and take every opportunity practicable to enhance the local biodiversity of the countryside here."

Other long established and successful growers in Veg NI include Roy Lyttle Ltd, Newtownards; Fresh Fields, Comber; and Donnelly Horticulture, Armagh. The group, in fact, involves 10 growers, around 80 percent of growers of vegetables in Northern Ireland.

“Veg NI aims to bring local vegetables to local people, by championing the power and value of our home grown produce, through collaboration, promotion and education,” he adds. “Eating local veg means eating with the seasons.”

And eating seasonally can have a lot of benefits, for personal health, pocket and the planet.

He explains that the organisation is convinced that vegetables had been “commoditised, under-valued and sold ‘below-cost’ for too long”. “We believe in elevating the value of our quality, local produce and the positive contribution to the economy, society and the wellbeing of our environment,” continues Adrian, a vegetable farmer of over 40 years.

The group is also committed to “raise awareness among local people of the value of the industry”.

Veg NI reflects the belief and commitment of growers here to sustainability by “producing and promoting local produce as a sustainable choice for our customers.

By working together, we can collectively reduce our environmental impact,” he says.

“We are working together to promote a dynamic, inclusive and collaborative sector that’s attractive for workers and will encourage future entrants to come forward with new products for consumers. thereby fostering long-term growth and success,”

Adrian adds. They’ve come up with an eye-catching ‘Parful Produce’ brand for consumers to identity easily with and support.

The important initiative by growers is supported by the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

There is now a wide variety of Parful veg grown locally. These range from leeks to lettuce, cauliflower, beetroot, cabbages to kohlrabi, scallions, turnips, parsley, peas and broccoli. These are all grown at in Northern Ireland and harvested fresh for local grocers and wholesalers. Some growers are currently harvesting pumpkins grown for the Halloween season here and nurturing Brussel sprouts for the upcoming Christmas festivities.

The group is also engaging with local schools and members are hosting visits by pupils in its strategic focus on educating the next generation about the health benefits of fresh vegetables.