So this is Labours idea? Do we like it? Or not?

[suffolksmallholder]

The nanny state really do want to control our farms dont they? It stifles innovation.. so near to an election i get the impression that neither of the main parties are interested in Agriculture and neither seem to have a manifesto to support our sector.. State farm collectives run by contractors is certainly the trend..

They are so far removed from farming and reality, it’s like they’re on Mars.
The supermarket shelves are full to overflowing so there isn’t any problem!

One of the things that hit me on my return from travelling in India in 1985 was the over-flowing supermarket shelves they put an interesting perspective on our lives.
SS

 

[DrWazzock]

One thing strikes me the more I hear about all of this. It would probably be better to leave farming alone as far as subsidies and interference goes, and just concentrate on creating nature reserves where it’s felt they are needed. The distortions wrought upon commercial farming by trying to integrate nature and carbon saving measures into it by an increasingly complex, unmanageable and Byzantine set of rules and incentives will only serve to make home food production wholly inefficient and completely uncompetitive with imports not subject to such strictures. It also will not be any real help to nature. The two entities should be separated as far as government goes though there’s nothing to stop private concerns integrating whatever nature friendly systems into their businesses they see fit. It’s the governments cack handed efforts to merge farming with environmental goods that will kill us eventually as viable businesses. It’s just too complex a task to be prescribed and managed equitably by the civil service, yet that’s what they are trying to do and they’ll tie themselves and us up in knots over it.

 

[Will 1594]

was sent this other day from chap in village we do some work for he is in the house of lords

 

[willyorkshire]

One thing strikes me the more I hear about all of this. It would probably be better to leave farming alone as far as subsidies and interference goes, and just concentrate on creating nature reserves where it’s felt they are needed. The distortions wrought upon commercial farming by trying to integrate nature and carbon saving measures into it by an increasingly complex, unmanageable and Byzantine set of rules and incentives will only serve to make home food production wholly inefficient and completely uncompetitive with imports not subject to such strictures. It also will not be any real help to nature. The two entities should be separated as far as government goes though there’s nothing to stop private concerns integrating whatever nature friendly systems into their businesses they see fit. It’s the governments cack handed efforts to merge farming with environmental goods that will kill us eventually as viable businesses. It’s just too complex a task to be prescribed and managed equitably by the civil service, yet that’s what they are trying to do and they’ll tie themselves and us up in knots over it.

Nothing much in it,yet, to get us to join SFI.

 

[DrWazzock]

was sent this other day from chap in village we do some work for he is in the house of lords

That’s the danger with setting percentage targets applicable to “all farmers.” Instead of that we should have a process similar to Forestry Commission land acquisitions here in the 1950’s. If the government want a reserve on poor farmland then offer to lease it from the farmer or buy it and get on with managing it for nature. That way you don’t lose grade 1 Boston silt to schemes because land agents are milking the system. £3.5 billion would go a long way to buying up or leasing marginal land like mine, rather than paying all of us a bit to make haif a job of nature conservation and half a job of farming.

 

[L P]

"communities will get a voice in safeguarding nature in their area"
More interference,more regulation, more busybodies telling you what to do,more loss of control on what you own.
Keir Starmer is already committed to build on green belt and bring in compulsory purchase of strategic building land at agricultural prices,not house building land prices.
you aint seen nothing yet!

Cunch of bunts the very lot of them. Until social media and mobile phones are banned in Parliament it will only get worse, no matter what country we are in. You want peace, go somewhere nobody else wants to live. I'm thinking Romania maybe, it must be nearly empty by now.

 

[DrWazzock]

Nothing much in it,yet, to get us to join SFI.

Especially with wheat prices rising and sheep being at record highs.

 

[DrWazzock]

My view is now that if they want to run it they can buy it at full market value. Either that or clear off and let me get on with farming without interference. But don’t expect me to screw up my tried and tested systems for a few quid.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Yeah but you are on the other side of the planet in NZ!!

But your in the wrong side of the plant in the UK!!!
Our previous Labour should have been aborted!!!

 

[Devil's advocate]

My view is now that if they want to run it they can buy it at full market value. Either that or clear off and let me get on with farming without interference. But don’t expect me to screw up my tried and tested systems for a few quid.

You have said many times you were fed up of been ripped off by big business & would like to SFI the lot & repair mowing machines.

 

[DrWazzock]

You have said many times you were fed up of been ripped off by big business & would like to SFI the lot & repair mowing machines.

It’s about who runs your business.
I’d rather run it myself without SFI than work for the civil service under SFI.

 

[Devil's advocate]

It’s about who runs your business.
I’d rather run it myself without SFI than work for the civil service under SFI.

You did say you had put a proportion into SFI & it was a good return

 

[DrWazzock]

You did say you had put a proportion into SFI & it was a good return

I haven’t pressed the button yet. I’d 5 ha for bird seed and 5 ha for pollinator mix. The gross payment looks big but there are costs. A decent crop of winter barley would be better and would keep the land clean. We tend to get rubbished up here if we can’t use sprays. Fair enough the fat hen that would grow would feed the birds but do we want the big weed seed build up? It’s too early for my application yet really. June would be better as I will then have it drilled within 12 months but TBH and I’d be fine without it, especially the hassle. I’m all winter cereals and grass. It’s dead easy.