FARMA - Market Certification

Market Certification

FARMA certifies farmers' markets in the UK that operate under its guidelines. Markets are independently assessed by a third party and the inspections are carried out on an individual basis. Over 200 farmers' markets in the UK have been Certified by FARMA

Its rules are based around five major principles:

• Food must be produced within a defined local area
• The food must be sold by someone involved in producing it
• Primary produce (things that are sold without significant preparation) must be grown or reared locally
• Secondary produce (value added items, for example pickles or bread) should contain at least one primary product from within the local area, with a recommended minimum of 25% local ingredients.
• Traceability: Information should be available from the market and the traders about how items were produced

Markets can support additional rules, and define their own local area (usually set as a distance or as a County boundary). FARMA recommend a maximum radius of 30 miles, but accept that for large cities a radius of 50 miles is more appropriate.

UK farmers' markets have to abide by regulation from their local authority, and some local authorities have adopted the FARMA guidelines as a requirement.