County Council worry about Big Kit!

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
I can see both sides of that discussion - it's not an easy one to solve.

He said: “The size of modern farm vehicles reflects the changed nature of farming nowadays, necessary to make farming pay; to make economic sense fields are bigger and so the machinery needed to work them is bigger.

"That’s been the reality of rural life for at least a generation. It’s a case of welcome to the countryside.”

But Councillor Barrow said: “Verges are being ripped up and there have also been complaints about the standard of driving of those vehicles. I know I am not the only councillor in Shropshire to have such problems in their area,” she said.


Sums it up nicely. Economies of scale dictate the size of equipment needed, and bigger kit to have less employees. The comment about the standard of driving is also very valid in many ways - but that's a direct result of the same. If farming paid well, they may not employ students and the like, but better paid, better quality and suitably trained workers.

People need to decide what they want - you can't have cheap food, and dictate how it is produced.
 

Suffolksucklers

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Suffolk
I bet if you look closely at some of these lanes the tarmac is well under the verge. That's certainly the case round here. The council used to come along and scrape the verges back. It's also people not cutting their hedges back. One chap here was complained at so cut his hedge rather handily with secateurs to car height. Not helpful when you have to then drive round a blind bend on the other side of the road. We don't even have massive equipment
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
It would be taking the easy option to restrict farmers, rather then improve roads and educate drivers.
Ironically cars are getting wider, but how many of the drivers can justify NEEDING a Range Rover or X5.
In Leicestershire there is a huge problem with motorbikes speeding on the roads, one gets killed on the road from here to 8 miles north most years, but the council puts up signs warning other road users to look out for them rather than tackle the real problem.
 
It's not so much the size of machinery this way which damages the verges, it's the lack of maintenance the council do to the roads. The council just spent nearly two months repairing parts of the road down to the village, about a mile of road. They have done strips on the side of the road where the side was disintegrating into the verge. And it all looks nice and tidy now, but they have failed to do anything about the cause of the roads crumbling.
WATER!
All the gullys and grids from here to the village are either partly or completely blocked, so any water that gets into the road runs down the sides, then through the winter it freezes and thaws, and we're back to square one ! Also the local council thinks that water flows up hill, and not putting grids gulleys etc at the lowest point 🤷🏻‍♂️ :banghead:
I suppose it's much easier and cheaper to blame farmers.
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
And a tax on land above 250 acres.:cool::woot:

Fair comments IMO. Ancient lanes banks / verges / gateways fudgeed to buggery by modern machinery. Such a shame. Gives the general public the idea we don't give a fudge about the countryside.👎

While we are at it let’s take all the cars and lorries of the roads and go back to horses and carts. That should also help solve the problem 👍
 

mixed breed

Member
Mixed Farmer
It was always potato and sugar beet season that brought upset to our villagers, nowadays it seems to include maize, carrots and digestate being lugged about, and yes the tack is massive. so, far from being a couple of weeks of disruption and mess, it's now month after month.

Also there are now twice if not three times as many residents so twice as many cars, walkers and probably ten times more cycle nobs, so a lot more complainers.

Not sure where it will end.
 

primmiemoo

Member
Location
Devon
Pretty sure there are laws about vehicle and attached equipment sizes and weights on each class of road.

Wonder how many operators of tractors and trailed equipment actually know them and use them when deciding which kit to buy.

Pretty sure that soil damage and runoff from compacted fields is covered by laws, too. That has an effect on the roads. All involves use of overly large farm equipment for the locality.
 

jondear

Member
Location
Devon
And a tax on land above 250 acres.:cool::woot:

Fair comments IMO. Ancient lanes banks / verges / gateways fudgeed to buggery by modern machinery. Such a shame. Gives the general public the idea we don't give a fudge about the countryside.👎
Trouble is not just tractors .We have 3 milk tankers go past our place grass in middle of road .Our tanker is either a lorry and drag or Tri axle artic 44t full up nearly sometimes!
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
Do 24t Dustcarts or Bitumen wagons on Council Contracts not damage the verges, then?

And, certainly in my neck of the woods the verges belong to the landowners, so what business is it of the Council if the owners damage their own property?

Tractors and trailers would be on a lot larger rubber footprint too, thus spreading the weight.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

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  • 25-50%

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  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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