Australia Free Trade Deal?

[Macsky]

Agriculture on its own might be ,but once you take in all the ancillary and processing industries connected with agriculture it becomes a different story especially in Scotland and probably in Wales too.

Absolutely, the money that is made off the backs of farmers efforts makes us look like really good value for money.

 

[hally]

I remember when foot and mouth around here first struck there was a lethargy from government as it was mentioned what a small sector farming really was. However it soon dawned on them the scale of the actual food industry and farm supply sector and it was massive, they then had to get their fingers out.

 

[Old apprentice]

They are dropping into cloud cucku land.

 

[kiwi pom]

It will ruin the irish beef farmers too from what im reading, any beef farmer eng/welsh/scot or irish who is in an area not favourable for beef production will feel the pain first "IF" it plays out like some predict. All these things are just driving the need to be a mega farmer to mass produce cheap food. Bigger is better if you want to survive by the looks. Once china's got its pig numbers back up it will reduce imports of sheep meat and australia will then knacker the sheep job here too. Boom or Bust years

The UK and Ireland are fantastic grass growing countries, grass fed Beef and Lamb should be the easiest, greenest and cheapest way to produce it. I would think they are far more favourable Beef and Lamb producing areas than much of Australia?

 

[Old apprentice]

The UK and Ireland are fantastic grass growing countries, grass fed Beef and Lamb should be the easiest, greenest and cheapest way to produce it. I would think they are far more favourable Beef and Lamb producing areas than much of Australia?

We don't have the scope size and have higher overror heads than you guys it isn't un herd of having cattle in for winter for 9 months I know I have done this extensive wet August taking well June for ground to recover enough.

 

[Top Tip.]

Much is being made of the fact that once China gets it’s pig production back up and running the demand for beef and lamb will drop,I’m not so sure . These people are for the first time getting the chance to try an alternative to pork and they are obviously enjoying it as the demand is strengthening ,it might not be the flash in the pan some commentators would have us believe.

 

[Hilly]

[

The UK and Ireland are fantastic grass growing countries, grass fed Beef and Lamb should be the easiest, greenest and cheapest way to produce it. I would think they are far more favourable Beef and Lamb producing areas than much of Australia?

We also have very long winters.

 

[Old apprentice]

It used to be said that if china started to eat lamb they could eat the whole lot produced in the world .

 

[Hilly]

It used to be said that if china started to eat lamb they could eat the whole lot produced in the world .

I’ve heard it said if every person in China wanted a nip of whiskey their would not be enough in the world to let them all have one.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Free trade without the same rules and regulations great.
Perhaps we should start sponsoring animal welfare groups
in Aus to level thing up .

More than happy to adopt ALL of your rules and regulations IF your happy to pay us the same level of subsidies. I'd love to be able to buy a new 400hp tractor every 2 years......

 

[kiwi pom]

We don't have the scope size and have higher overror heads than you guys it isn't un herd of having cattle in for winter for 9 months I know I have done this extensive wet August taking well June for ground to recover enough.

True but on another thread, someone was complaining about the price of barley for Beef in MAY, shouldn't they be grazing?
The problem is the UK does have large Beef, Dairy and Arable producers and they seem to be making money, so the smaller farms are always going to struggle to keep up. As the small farms sell up the bigger units will get bigger and output will stay about the same. So the country will still get fed.
Farmers never see each other as competition, it's always another country or government that's to blame.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

The UK and Ireland are fantastic grass growing countries, grass fed Beef and Lamb should be the easiest, greenest and cheapest way to produce it. I would think they are far more favourable Beef and Lamb producing areas than much of Australia?

You do realise the physical difference in size between the 2 countries??? 99% is grass fed here too. Theres dedicated beef and sheep producers. But theres also many with mixed operations complimenting their cropping enterprises.

 

[kiwi pom]

[
We also have very long winters.

Yes you do. Every area has its problems and it's advantages. Southland gets long cool winters but can grow grass cheaply. Canterbury outwinters quite easily but we've only had about 140 mm of rain all year so the irrigation bill is huge.
All livestock farmers do it tough in my opinion, wherever they're from.

 

[glasshouse]

The UK and Ireland are fantastic grass growing countries, grass fed Beef and Lamb should be the easiest, greenest and cheapest way to produce it. I would think they are far more favourable Beef and Lamb producing areas than much of Australia?

The grass only grows for 5 months or less some years

 

[glasshouse]

You do realise the physical difference in size between the 2 countries??? 99% is grass fed here too. Theres dedicated beef and sheep producers. But theres also many with mixed operations complimenting their cropping enterprises.

Any farms for sale near you?
If you cant beat em...

 

[kiwi pom]

The grass only grows for 5 months or less some years

In some parts yes, but not all. The dairy section on here is a good place to compare the different parts of the UK and their growing seasons.

 

[Hilly]

More than happy to adopt ALL of your rules and regulations IF your happy to pay us the same level of subsidies. I'd love to be able to buy a new 400hp tractor every 2 years......

How many acres you farm ?

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Any farms for sale near you?
If you cant beat em...

Always some..... generally very tightly held.

 

[Old apprentice]

True but on another thread, someone was complaining about the price of barley for Beef in MAY, shouldn't they be grazing?
The problem is the UK does have large Beef, Dairy and Arable producers and they seem to be making money, so the smaller farms are always going to struggle to keep up. As the small farms sell up the bigger units will get bigger and output will stay about the same. So the country will still get fed.
Farmers never see each other as competition, it's always another country or government that's to blame.

There are lots of 1000 cow dairy herds in uk that don't make a proper profit ,when they get accountants to look at it they often say it isent profitabe so they finish herd this many times . 1000 cows is quite large for uk. Could fit uk into australia many times not sure of your population ours is some wear around 60 plus or so million.

 

[Macsky]

I’ve heard it said if every person in China wanted a nip of whiskey their would not be enough in the world to let them all have one.

Well for the sake of us all let’s hope the idea never catches on! My Thursday night pre dinner routine would be ruined.