PowerSwitch

My apologies if something about this has already been posted, but there was a quite interesting discussion on Farming Today This Week this morning (Saturday), to do with the continuing viability of supermarkets once cheap oil starts to run low. I'm not usually very alert at 06.35 on a Saturday but I certainly pricked my ears up at hearing the phrase "peak oil" on radio.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_a ... adio4/fttw

The really interesting bit starts at about 10 minutes into the programme - it deals with the end of cheap oil and the vulnerability of the UK's food-supply mechanisms, and features a well-informed contribution from Green MEP Caroline Lucas.

I caught this and it made me jump too. (I guess there's no danger of it reaching the public if its broadcast at 6.30am). You could hear the sausage manufacturer struggling with the implications but not quite getting it. The comment that supermarkets would be OK because they have a few windmills on their roofs in a couple of stores shows how much work there is to do.

Yes he seemed to think supermarkets would keep working because people were used to using them and that the most of the small shops had closed .
I think the MEP did very well

LastDrop wrote: (I guess there's no danger of it reaching the public if its broadcast at 6.30am).

Well I was awake and listening. Well worth a 'listen again' if you missed it.

Am listening to it now. I think more people listen to Farming Today than the broadcast hour would suggest.

It's good that they interviewed Rob Hopkins and Caroline Lucus, who are both very effective in conveying the peak oil/climate change message.

Just listened to it.

Good to hear Peak Oil mentioned a few times...

What will be the fate of the supermarkets post peak?

My initial feeling , is that they will be stuffed - too much energy involved to put food in front of there customers.

However , I wonder if some will adapt and survive in a much smaller way?

After all, the reason they're so cheap and proftable is to that deliver per unit of food I suspect they're quite efficient.

I wonder if they will start to source more locally to keep costs down , reduce ranges (less and less airfreight), reduce the size of stores, use more rail etc etc.

I guess the issue will be the high overhead cost of such large sites. Unless they can renegotiate rents and reduce footage I suspect they will all be stuffed!

It will be interesting to see what happens!

It's covered there because of the Soil Association conference, which was on Peak Oil. James, Chris, Julian, myself and others we know were there. Get the audio of the speeches here:
http://www.soilassociation.org/conference
and discuss it on this thread here:
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/vie ... php?t=3329