Types of producer

Farnham Town Council welcomes three types of producer at the market. These are:

Category 1- primary farm produce

This means you must sell one or more of the following:

• eggs, fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, fish, seafood, cheese, milk, butter, ice cream, honey and bee products, wine, cider, fruit juices, flowers and plants.

Plants may include planted baskets if wholly grown and arranged by the producer.

The produce must have been reared or grown by the producer/business named on the application form and have spent at least 50 per cent of its life on the producer’s land.

Exceptions may be made for products, which are not available locally, or to respond to customer demand.

Category 2 – hand-made consumable products

This means you must sell one or more of the following:

• ready-made meals, condiments, confectionery, preserves, cakes and desserts whose principal ingredients are primary farm produce from category 1

The Farnham Farmers’ Market does not permit/support the purchasing/re-packaging/selling on of finished or imported goods such as tea and coffee.

Category 3 – hand-made craft items

This means you can only sell products crafted from locally sourced naturally occurring materials, for example, willow baskets, charcoal, hand made wooden items.

The product

1. All produce must be grown, raised, caught, baked, pickled, processed or made within 50 miles of the market unless the product is not available locally (and this is at the market manager’s discretion).
2. No Genetically Modified (GM) produce or produce containing GM ingredients may be sold at or bought to the market.
3. Stallholders must grow, rear or produce the products that they are selling.
4. No bought-in produce is allowed. Any bought produce must have undergone a substantial change and contain at least ten per cent local ingredients.
5. Producers may only describe their product as organic if they have a relevant certificate and they display the certificate on their stall. A copy of the certificate must also be sent to Farnham Town Council.
6. Any change in product lines should be agreed with Farnham Town Council ten working days prior to the market that the product is to be introduced. This includes seasonal variations such as hot products.
7. Unwrapped products stored under or at the rear of the stall must be stored off the ground by at least 45cm.
8. For processed and added value products eg cakes, stallholders will be encouraged to include ingredients grown or raised with the local area and from other stallholders at the market.  Processed goods should contain at least ten per cent local ingredients.
9. All products must be traceable to source.
10. There will be normally no more than three producers of one product type at the market. If this happens the producer furthest from the market will be asked not to attend/or sell that product type.

Compliance

1. On the day of the market, the producer and stallholder are responsible for complying with all local and national laws and regulations regarding the production, labelling, display, storage and sale of goods, including complying with the:
2. Food Safety (general Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995
3. Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995
4. Food Safety Act 1990, and relevant trading standard legislation.
5. When applying for a stall, applicants must include a photocopy of their public liability insurance with their application and provide a copy of the renewed policy every year.
6. All stalls must comply with current Environmental Health and Health and Safety requirements
7. Stalls selling food must be staffed by a person who has attended a Basic Food Hygiene course and a copy of their certificate should be sent to Farnham Town Council.
8. Stallholders selling alcohol must be over the age of 18 and hold a personal licence and comply with all local and national laws including complying with the 2003 Licensing Act.

 Co-operatives

1. Whilst the use of co-operatives is not encouraged, Farnham Town Council accepts that in limited special circumstances co-operatives are necessary to achieve a balanced cross section of products.
2. Co-operatives must be agreed in advance by Farnham Town Council and the following conditions followed:
3. The products must be clearly labelled to show which farm they have come from
4. Each producer must complete their own application form (this needs to be received, accepted and acknowledged by Farnham Town Council before trading can begin)
5. Each producer must make regular quarterly visits to the market so that customers can ask any questions.

 The Stall

1. The stallholder on the day of the market must be the producer, their family or employee directly involved with the growing/production of the product.
2. All stalls must display the business and trading name, address, telephone number and where the product was produced.

Market organisation

1. No stallholders are to arrive before 8am on the day of the market.
2. All vehicles must be removed from the market area by 9.30am and not return to the market area except those with permission of the Market Manager.
3. No stall may be cleared away before 1.30pm without prior permission of the Market Manager.
4. All invoices must be paid by the due date or failure to make payment by the due date will result in the immediate cancellation of all your current bookings.
5. Markets must be booked using the booking form indicating your requirements. The completed booking form should be returned to Farnham Town Council. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in you losing your booking.
6. Producers must carefully dispose of all rubbish in the bins provided.
7. Producers must bring their own chillers or refrigerators where required.
8. There is a no smoking policy on all stalls and adjacent to stalls for all stallholders.
9. There is a ‘no dogs’ policy on any stall selling food.
10. The allocation of stalls is solely at the discretion of Farnham Town Council.
11. The Market Manager is the representative of Farnham Town Council on the day of the market.
12. One week’s notice is required to cancel a pitch, otherwise full payment is due.

Disclaimer of Liability

The organisers, their officers and servants shall not be responsible to any person or persons whilst upon the market area, the onsite parking area or the access routes off the public highway, for personal injury, fatal or otherwise suffered by such person unless due to any claim or action in respect of any such injury suffered by any person or persons whom the organisers may formally employ or engage.

The organisers, their officers and servants shall not be responsible to any person whomsoever for any damage, theft or loss however caused in respect of any exhibits, produce or other property in transit to or from the market or upon the market area or on-site parking area at any time.

Stallholders shall indemnify the organisers from and against all claims and actions in respect of any personal injury whether fatal or otherwise, damage, theft or other loss which may be caused or occasioned in connection with their attendance at and use of or presence at the market and against all costs and proceedings arising there from.

The organisers, their officers or servants shall not be in any way responsible or accountable for anything that may happen to visitors, members, stall holders or their employees or to any stall or property brought to or used at the market.

The above disclaimers are subject to statute and common law.

Food safely advice for stall holders

Image © David Fisher