Did you know that the UK is barbecue capital of Europe?Over 120 million barbecues every year!
We import around 90% of the 60,000 tons of charcoal we cook our food on.
Most of the imported charcoal comes from Namibia, where it is produced by workers in poor conditions, shipped over 5,000 miles across the Atlantic, taking 5 weeks to get to the UK.
Often it is soaked in precious water to stop it catching light in the ships hold, using more energy to re dry it before packaging it to sell in the UK, a country that is not short of wood fuel of it’s own.
A ton of British charcoal, wholesale,will cost around £1,400, compared to a ton from Namibia, which will cost about £90.
Hardly any of that money will go to the Namibian charcoal burners, most goes to the supermarket chain.
When you buy a bag of British Charcoal you are supporting low tech woodland managers, as the 5000 tons of charcoal produced in this country is a by product of good healthy management of woodlands.
Think not only of food miles but fuel miles.
With acknowledgement and thanks to Olly Craigan for his article in The Land, Issue 24
Heydon Hill Tree Nursery 