Farmers' Market Founding Principles

  • Producers are drawn from the local area,’ Local’ is defined as the Herts County boundary plus 10 miles, As Sawbridgeworth straddles the Essex Border, ‘Local’ is also defined as Essex County border plus 10 miles.
  • Where there is no given produce/product of the required quality, the maximum distance a producer may travel is 100 miles.
  • Processors must use ingredients of ‘local’ origin (as defined above)
  • All produce sold must be grown, reared, caught, or processed by the stallholders.
  • All cheese sold, or milk utilised for cheese production, must be from own herd of the farmer/producer selling it.
  • Produce that is seasonal will not be at every market, easy to forget in our ‘supermarket world’ where produce is shipped half way around the world out of season.
  • Producers must be compliant with Environmental Health and Trading Standards requirements and have Public and Product liability insurance.
  • Craft stalls provide diversity to a Farmers’ Market; the ratio of craft to fresh produce stalls is expected to stay at a minimal level.
  • Guest stalls which provide something new can feature on a market by market basis at the organisers discretion.
  • The producers have many other rules to follow so that customers can be assured that Sawbridgeworth Farmers’
  • Market is operating to a very high standard.
  • Free leaflet distribution and Charity Street collections are forbidden without a market area specific licence from the local District Council.