Yet the industry is said to be in crisis with fewer farms and less farmers than ever before.

A recent report revealed a staggering 87 per cent decline in Bermuda's farming industry in the last 85 years.

And its author, Aran McKittrick, claimed the island's agricultural sector could become obsolete if action was not taken to breath new life into the industry.

But Mr. Wadson is upbeat — if slightly frustrated.

He says the tide is turning as more shoppers want to know where their food comes from.

He told the Sun: "Farming will only be obsolete when you and I stop eating.

"We are busting our backsides out here and we are growing a lot of good food.

"People say to me 'your spinach is very expensive'.

"But I say 'did you ask the price of the rum and coke?'.

"No one is checking the price of heart surgery.

"You get what you pay for and that is worth remembering.

"I believe the tide is turning — people care what they are eating now more than ever and they want to know where it has come from."

Mr. Wadson started up his farm in 1967.

Today he and his ten-strong team work 40 acres of land producing onions, peppers, lettuces and all sorts of vegetables.

He also rears chickens, geese, ducks, sheep and the Bermuda hog variety of pig.

Mr. Wadson said: "Farming has been sadly neglected for quite a while — it was not so long ago that we were exporting out of Bermuda.

"The challenge we face is people get more money out of building condos on their land than turning it over to agriculture."

Mr. Wadson believes many people do not realize what has gone into producing much of the food that ends up on their plate.

"Ninety-nine per cent of the beef that comes in from America is off of feed lots where the cattle are fed GM corn," he added.

"Cattle were never designed to eat grain. They are supposed to eat grass.

"The system is so flawed that 70 per cent of the antibiotic that is used in North America is fed to healthy animals to try and get them to market without dying."

Local produce is often marked up in price by supermarkets, according to Mr. Wadson.

He said: "This situation we face now is largely a result of all of our grocers dictating to farmers what they will pay.

"It's not uncommon for them to put 100-150 per cent mark ups on local produce and then blame it on us.

"The retail side of this is verging on criminal.

"The only thing that is saving us is the fact that we have to do our own retail just to survive."

He told the Sun: "Yes our industry is struggling and yes we need help.

"A bit of fair trade would be wonderful. Agriculture is so taken for granted here.

"Food security and food quality are apparently not an issue in Bermuda.

"It seems to be a case of just buy whatever from wherever — who cares?

"We need to change that mind set."

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