FARM-Africa still gives plenty
FARM-Africa still gives plenty
BRITISH farmers are still digging deep to help their Third World counterparts, despite the slump in income since foot-and-mouth, says FARM-Africas chief executive Christie Peacock.
Farmers have remained "consistently generous" giving average donations of over £80, more than twice the average household charity gift. "They remain the bedrock of our support," she told delegates at the recent agm of this charity, which helps poor rural African communities.
"There is a deep, deep empathy between farmers in the Northern hemisphere and their African counterparts. If anything, the recent crisis has encouraged this feeling of empathy.
"We feared a massive fall-off in support, but this has not happened," she said.
Such farmer support is increasingly important, with the British government diverting money away from specialist "hands-on" Third World aid agencies in favour of organisations such as the UN and EU, she added.
TR