UK Farmers Can get Free Happerley Passport on 19 February
UK - Every farmer and grower with a holding number is being invited to obtain their own free and unique Happerley Passport when Happerley Passports goes live on 19 February.One of the principle aims is to establish the UK’s first food producer trading network. It has been developed by producers to be entirely free for all UK producers.
Effectively a hybrid of Google, Linkedin, Facebook and a farm mart, the Happerley Network connects producers to producers, enabling them to:
- Market stock, fodder and other farm sales to other farmers across the UK
- Find advance buyers for future stock or crop releases
- Develop new farming relationships
- Promote their farm capabilities, certifications and assurances
- Create private trading and special interest groups
- Maintain a public farm profile and also a free blog if they wish
- Be able to generate Happerley Food Information Records (FIRS)
Producer profiles and outputs are drawn into one core search engine, providing instant visibility and connection to everyone: potential trade buyers, retailers, restaurants and consumers. This enables producers to:
- Promote their production techniques to gain premiums
- Market their produce to the trade and the public
- Secure direct trading relationships
- Grow their own transparent trading networks
- Develop and show endorsements and reputation
- Market farm made produce
- Provide intermediaries and retailers a provenance check
Producers can now pre-register ahead of February 19 at www.happerley.co.uk
Co-Founder, Clifford Freeman explains: “Core to our ethos is a business model free for all producers. Happerley’s future revenue streams are generated from intermediaries and retailers within the network who opt to join their relevant membership, enabling them to be profiled within the Network and promote their membership elsewhere. To do so they will pay an annual fee but also must sign up to a series of commitments relating to transparency and honesty at point-of-sale, as well as a degree of direct farm sourcing.
“Our aim is to create a win win for producers. Great new trading opportunities, consumer visibility and finally some control of their own provenance, ultimately paid for by those who profit from UK producers.”
Co-founder Matthew Rymer adds: “Red Tractor maintains farmer and grower invisibility to the consumer, and it could be argued some of those leading it have a vested interest in keeping it that way. We believe that farmers uniting into a single visible network is one vital element to maintaining a sustainable UK agriculture industry, independent of retail and processor interests.
“The second vital element is empowering the consumer to trace their food to farm. Happerley’s facility for producers to issue their own Food Information Records will enable this.”