China is clamouring to get its hands on Australian milk products and wine, but there’s a fresh new industry that the UK seems to have beaten us to -- air.
Entrepreneur Leo De Watts, 27, is selling British country air to people in heavily polluted cities such as Beijing and Shanghai for more than $160 per 580mL jar.
Beijing’s air quality in particular has long been a cause of concern, with a red alert issued by the Chinese government in December last year for hazardous pollution.
While it all appears to be an elaborate joke, De Watts has reportedly already sold 180 bottles of the air since entering the bizarre air farming industry.
“Aethaer is collected from fresh natural air flowing over a range of prime locations, from fertile lush pastures and wild untouched meadows, to wind-kissed hilltops and heavenly snow-capped mountains,” the website reads.
Under the company’s terms and conditions, the project is ‘aimed at highlighting the issues of environmental concern and is being developed to inspire original thought to combat such issues'.
De Watts also outlined how he was planning to spend the profits made from the lucrative business in an interview with Country and Town House.
“We’re going to use some of the profits for environmental campaigns. That’s what this is - if people really want to buy clean(er) air for £80 a go, they can,” he said.