Online abuse forces farmers’ market closures
Farmers’ markets battle intimidation and a culture of fear in bid to keep communities supplied with farm-fresh produce.
FARMERS’ market organisers are copping online abuse from vocal complainers bent on shutting them down.
This is despite the Victorian Government’s directive that deems food markets essential services and allows them to operate during stage three and four restrictions.
In the past three weeks, the Talbot and Lancefield farmers’ markets have both buckled, cancelling their July dates at the last minute.
Talbot’s market committee president, Fred Davies, 74, said volunteers had been under “severe attack from trolls”, with online critics threatening to blockade the main street if the July 19 market went ahead.
Mr Davies said protocols had been in place, including social distancing, sanitising stations and masks for all stallholders – even before masks had been mandated in regional Victoria.
“I have no hesitation in saying it would have been the safest street in Victoria that day,” Mr Davies said.
The abuse, coupled with escalating COVID-19 numbers, was too much for Talbot’s committee to endure.
Lancefield Farmers’ Market had to pull the pin one day before trading because its governing committee feared it would attract visitors from Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.
Market manager Meggs Hannes said it was a blow to residents as well as stallholders.
Vegetable grower and stallholder Geordie Haintz was disappointed to let down his regular customers.
“People are used to buying from these markets each month,” he said. “It is no different to shopping in the supermarket, except it is out in the open air, which is better for everyone.”
Victorian Farmers’ Market Association executive officer Kate Archdeacon said some governing bodies were making rash decisions without consulting market organisers, customers or stallholders.
“What I think really needs to change in the long term is more acknowledgment that a lot of people want to buy their food from farmers and they want to do that in an outdoor setting, not an indoor setting,” she said.
Market manager Geoff Rankin oversees markets in the metro suburbs of Kingston, Berwick and Bentleigh. After months of campaigning, he successfully convinced the City of Casey to overturn a previous decision to halt market trading.
“Once they realise that a farmers’ market is actually a retail food operation, not an event, then that changes their mindset and it is easy to say, ‘by closing it down you are causing financial damage to the farmers and producers, and you are denying the local community access to farm-origin fresh produce’,” Mr Rankin said.
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