One of the world’s most innovative farmers and author, Joel Salatin, joined garden guru Costa Georgiadis and Tammi and Stuart Jonas of Jonai Farms during a five-hour community day on Sunday to talk with locals about the benefits of ‘paddock to plate’.

Speaking in front of hundreds of attendees, Mr Salatin spoke about the importance of food choice and the idea of promoting the right of producers to sell food directly to eaters.

“A lot of people don’t realise how much food choice there isn’t because of overbearing government regulations,” he said.

“We just want to be free to participate in food exchange. 

“We should be able to do it without bureaucrats getting involved and saying no it’s illegal.”

Growing up producing ice-cream, colesaw and cottage cheese as a young teenager on his own family farm with an ability to sell their produce to neighbours, Mr Salatin said he saw first-hand the benefits of non-regulated food exchange.

But he said regulation changes which made selling produce illegal, was “the single biggest tragedy.”

“It’s important for farmers to be able to begin small-scale embryonically bald innovation in any sphere of society,” he said.

“When overburdensome regulations require that start-up to be so big that the embryo cannot be burst, then all these dreams and opportunities are never birthed.

“Our children are depending on us to preserve food integrity, and food integrity is not going to come from the industry.”

Sunday’s event was part of a movement towards a food system where people have the opportunity to choose, create and manage their food supply from paddock to plate.

Funds raised on the day will go towards The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Legal Defence Fund which was established to promote the right of producers to grow, process and sell ecologically-sound and ethical food directly from their farm to eaters.