Lancefield back on, while another city market comes under fire
As Lancefield locals band together to save their local farmers’ market, bad behaviour by a few careless people in the city threatens another market.
LANCEFIELD community members have rallied to reinstate the long-running farmers’ market, after a last-minute cancellation in July shocked producers and loyal customers.
The move comes as some markets are still under fire on social media for attracting crowds and others are being cancelled by organisers who have to enforce protocols while also enduring pressure from vocal critics.
LANCEFIELD MARKET BACK ON
Lancefield and Districts Farmers’ Market will operate this Saturday, August 22, on the Romsey Community Sports Oval after community members and organisers secured a permit to trade on the new site.
Local resident Christiana Plitzco said she was “outraged when the last market was cancelled”, which prompted her to join the Friends of Lancefield Farmers’ Market group that campaigned to keep it running.
“It is a wonderful farmers’ market and has high attendance in normal times. It is very important to local producers as well as the local community,” she said.
“I buy most of my vegies and fruit, and most of my meat … I buy all of that there.”
Ms Plitzco said she and fellow citizens worked with the Lancefield Community House committee and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council to find a new location where health protocols could be enforced.
The July market was scheduled to run in Lancefield’s main street and was cancelled by the Lancefield Neighbourhood House committee less than 24 hours before trading, due to concerns it would attract people from Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, then under stricter coronavirus restrictions than Macedon Ranges.
Neighbourhood House co-ordinator Vivien Philpotts said producers and customers had written letters, stressing their views about the importance of the market and the threat to local food security if it were to be cancelled long-term.
“There is strong sentiment about keeping the market running for many reasons,” Ms Philpotts said. “You have it for the economic benefit, for the community, for the overall food security for the region and for the producers.
“Producers who don’t have a market to go to, have to look at other options, whether it be trading online, opening a farmgate shop or some people would come to the decision at this time that it is too hard.”
Market manager Meggs Hannes said “it’s a positive outcome”.
Romsey Region Business and Tourism Association spokeswoman Jenny Stillman said the group also supported the market’s move to a new location.
“Finding a temporary location for the market allows Romsey and Lancefield to continue the support of our local producers and their capacity to deliver their wonderful produce to the community,” she said.
DHHS-ENDORSED RISK MANAGEMENT
Food markets are deemed essential services by the state government.
They must operate under strict health protocols including customer density limits, social distancing and masks for all in attendance.
Victorian Farmers’ Market Association executive officer Kate Archdeacon said the industry group had drafted COVID-safe protocols in March and had been continually updating them as new restrictions and information were released by the DHHS.
She said this week they received a response from the DHHS’s head of strategy and policy, asking for some simple clarification to the guidelines, and indicating the department would then endorse the risk-management policy.
“It meant all the (VFMA) members went into the weekend with most up-to-date guidelines you can possibly have, which have been checked at the highest level at DHHS,” she said.
The guidelines are available to any market organisers, through the VFMA website.
BAD BEHAVIOUR BY CARELESS FEW
Meanwhile, the Yarraville Village Farmers’ Market came under fire over the weekend for attracting crowds of shoppers on Saturday.
The market’s manager told The Weekly Times that pictures circulated online and in the media of mothers sitting in a group on the grass with prams were not representative of the behaviour of shoppers and stallholders at the market.
The manager, who requested not to be named, said she was patrolling the market, asking customers to follow the rules about social distancing, wearing masks, and shopping and leaving immediately.
She said stricter rules would be in place in future, including one shopper per family, no children and strict entry and exit points.
Last weekend’s Trentham farmers’ market was also affected by coronavirus concerns. It was cancelled midweek due to the increasing spread of the virus, according to a Lion’s club member contacted by The Weekly Times.
MORE
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WHY THE TROLLS ARE WRONG ON FARMERS’ MARKET
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