A cancelled order left one Cambridgeshire farmer with 12 tonnes of potatoes and little time to shift them, so he decided to give many of them away.
Luke Abblitt, from Daintree farm in Ramsey, had prepared 540 bags of spuds for delivery to a fish and chip shop. But the order was cancelled at short notice, leaving him with stock already bagged and nearing the end of its usable life.
Abblitt, who grows potatoes, sugar beet and barley, said: “I’ve already lost money on them, so I might as well make something good out of the bad and donate them around to food banks.”
The fourth-generation farmer said it “has not been a great year for potatoes” and blamed “numerous factors for it”, including oversupply issues in Europe.
“Also, the fish and chips shops I supply to, their expenses rise, the cost of electricity, business rates, wages, it’s all increased,” he said.
“So they’re having to put more money on a fish and chips, therefore people are not eating as much fish and chips anymore.”
Earlier this year, Abblitt started taking orders through social media and delivering potatoes to customers’ homes across Peterborough, Huntingdon and Fenland.
“I operate in a 10-mile radius from my farm and have hundreds of customers. I sell 25kg, 12.5kg and 5kg of Sagitta spuds,” he said.
Abblitt, who is also known as Farmer Luke, said he had a “positive response” from food banks and charities. On Friday alone, he donated half a tonne of potatoes.
“I’m trying to donate it to the legit charity because I’ve had phone calls from people who want to have them for nothing off me, and then they’re going to try and make some money off it,” he said.
“We’ve got a few emails coming in from different charities, so it’s just nice that I’m actually able to help a lot of people.
“It does make you feel good that you are making a difference out of it.”
Abblitt said large orders had been slow since December, and the cancelled order was only the second he had received in five months.
He grew up on a farm and has worked in the trade for the past 12 years. He said he had “a lot of support” from the local community, but pressure on farming was growing.
“Agriculture generally, at the minute, it is not a brilliant industry,” he said.
“People still keep thinking farmers are all rich, you never see a poor farmer, but you’re definitely looking at one now.
“I’m a tenant farmer. It is a tough life to be in at the minute, and it’s just getting tougher.
“And sometimes when I lie in bed at night, I think that I might be the last generation of farmer for my family.”
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