English farmers must be doing well!

[Burrell Road Loco]

This is what I’m told by members of the public and even some people at work, because we aren’t protesting. By the way, I don’t limit myself to fly tippers, people asking about scrap, and trespassing dog walkers, when talking to members of the public.

Here are some of the highlights from conversations I’ve had this week;
Brexit must be working well for you lot
Farmers on YouTube say the new subsidies make arable farming a doddle and even more profitable
Presumably the UK farmers are getting lots more subsidies than the European farmers

Here’s a few thoughts;
Have we convinced ourselves from years of attack, and very poor representation, that the UK public think farmers are all axxxholes?
Are we scarred by the images from the past, like the miners strike, that messages such as ‘death of an industry/community’ seem to repulse us in a very base way, and remind us of hard left socialist ideals?
Why aren’t messages such as: farmers could be the answer to the ‘climate emergency’, that cows farting is a balanced cycle etc, get out into the wider public, OR maybe that doesn’t suit ‘The Message’ (insert your own view of the message)

I’m simply trying to stimulate a sensible conversation, before we miss a golden opportunity that will only come along once a century.

 

[delilah]

I’m simply trying to stimulate a sensible conversation, before we miss a golden opportunity that will only come along once a century.

It's not a 'golden opportunity', it's folks letting off steam.
Solutions come about through a constant drip drip into the ears of the decision makers, not through spasmodic bursts of protest.
It helps, of course, if the problems to which solutions are needed are first identified.
What do you see as the problems facing your business ?

 

[mixedfmr]

This is what I’m told by members of the public and even some people at work, because we aren’t protesting. By the way, I don’t limit myself to fly tippers, people asking about scrap, and trespassing dog walkers, when talking to members of the public.

Here are some of the highlights from conversations I’ve had this week;
Brexit must be working well for you lot
Farmers on YouTube say the new subsidies make arable farming a doddle and even more profitable
Presumably the UK farmers are getting lots more subsidies than the European farmers

Here’s a few thoughts;
Have we convinced ourselves from years of attack, and very poor representation, that the UK public think farmers are all axxxholes?
Are we scarred by the images from the past, like the miners strike, that messages such as ‘death of an industry/community’ seem to repulse us in a very base way, and remind us of hard left socialist ideals?
Why aren’t messages such as: farmers could be the answer to the ‘climate emergency’, that cows farting is a balanced cycle etc, get out into the wider public, OR maybe that doesn’t suit ‘The Message’ (insert your own view of the message)

I’m simply trying to stimulate a sensible conversation, before we miss a golden opportunity that will only come along once a century.

The last 2 days, heard on LBC that the recesion was due partly to the price of eggs and ham going up
And then today about obesity, it could be cured along with other things, by making the price of fresh produce cheaper some how
THIS IS THE PUBLIC THE NFU AND OTHERS, SOME ON HERE, SAY WE SHOULD NOT UPSET AS THEY ARE ON OUR SIDE ?????
TOM the presenter said we cant do with food going up in price
Having spoken to him some time ago, his conclusion was, that we couldnt produce food cheap enough in the UK

THE PUBLIC DO NOT HAVE A CLUE AND ARE NOT ON OUR SIDE BUT THEIR OWN

Spoke to a chem rep today, and talked about things as you do wheat £167,50 And his words "Farmers are teriffied to protest" "frightened they ll take the money away"

Christ what the hells going on, I would be there at the front

Minets got good press from the F Guardian today ,C ALL M A couple of pages after clive

 

[Burrell Road Loco]

It's not a 'golden opportunity', it's folks letting off steam.
Solutions come about through a constant drip drip into the ears of the decision makers, not through spasmodic bursts of protest.
It helps, of course, if the problems to which solutions are needed are first identified.
What do you see as the problems facing your business ?

With all due respect, the last line of the post is my opinion, the rest of the post is my observations during conversations with the public. I’m not asking how to change a wheel bearing on a TW25.
The problems facing each individual farmer’s business is his own business, whereas we as an industry are all facing very common problems within the wider agricultural sector, just like the dozen or so countries protesting farmers around the world from Canada to India.
Other countries farmers have managed to get common problems into simple messages, such as; climate change restrictions, cost of production, regulation, cheap imports, and ultimately simple profitability.
My post is trying to stimulate conversation about why we in the UK don’t feel the need to join in a worldwide series of farmer protests, and what this lack of activity is doing to our public image.
Surely your response would be better asking why our industry representatives have not succeeded using the drip drip method into Government ears if as an industry worldwide we all have similar problems, most of which are thrust upon us by worldwide Governments.
We are price takers, therefore we have very little effect individually.
Simply because each of us have found different ways to stay afloat should not detract from how farm profitability Is now zero.

 

[Devil's advocate]

We need more Police to stop rural crime.

I suspect, we will at least get that, if we protest.

 

[mixedfmr]

It's not a 'golden opportunity', it's folks letting off steam.
Solutions come about through a constant drip drip into the ears of the decision makers, not through spasmodic bursts of protest.
It helps, of course, if the problems to which solutions are needed are first identified.
What do you see as the problems facing your business ?

The American farmer is facing a steep decline in returns, and his union is lobbying their GOV, because of the strength of the farming states holding a balance of power, they will be supported
Minet say influence will be achieve through dialogue , by the FARMING UNION as she put it
"if we loose integrity and credibility" we cannot influence she says. Well she got along way didnt she !!!

As "sonfarmers" says we have produced food cheaper and cheaper, and in so doing injected money into the economy. But its come to an end, crunch time for the public

Any farmer who meets the public has enough amo to shoot any negative thoughts of our industry down, positively

Opertunity of a life time x4, and were all fragmented, because somes OK ( some farmers )

 

[farmerm]

We need more Police to stop rural crime.

I suspect, we will at least get that, if we protest.

More like we will get home to find the place stripped bare whilst the protests are heavily policed

 

[mixedfmr]

More like we will get home to find the place stripped bare whilst the protests are heavily policed

As an aside on this one
Neighbour had his years pile of scrap taken away 20 yds from his house

 

[Pan mixer]

I am too busy to protest I am afraid.

I also quite like the idea of the new SFI options as it is right on message with the way I farm. I will be worse off though when compared to SFP

The worst part of Brexit for me is the virtually uncontrolled import of meat produced to lower standards, particularly pork and bacon especially with the threat of ASF.

The best part of Brexit is now imagining what the Whitehall interpretation of the 'Brussels Regs' would have done to my business and the countryside. If the EU farmers are protesting then we would have had more reason than them to protest - whether we would have done so or not I have no idea. I agree that the Welsh have a problem though

Back at the turn of the century pig farmers here protested at ports, supermarkets and in Parliament Square (for about 3 months). It made us feel a bit better, I joined in all of that .

At the ports I was in the weighbridge and up level with the truck drivers who were bringing in the cheap foreign pork reared under systems illegal in the UK by then, I must admit that I felt a bit lame talking to drivers who were only doing their job. It didn't make any difference really to the scheme of things, UK pig farmers went out of business, our pigmeat imports are now significantly more than they were.

At the Supermarkets we talked to customers on the way in to their weekly shop, stating our case, showing the restrictions of the now UK illegal sow stalls with a full scale model of a stall and a sow. The prospective customers nodded wisely and agreed and then went in and bought the cheapest.

In Parliament Square, we kept a pig in an ark next to Winston, there was no trouble at all although everytime Tony went past on his way to the house we had an uninterrupted view of the backs of dozens of policemen who reasoned that since we had a great heap of pig muck and a fork - there could be an incedent. All our MP's came out to see us and it was a jolly atmosphere. We left under police advice when the Mayday protests about globalisation were about to happen and indeed a lot of shop windows were smashed in sight of were we had stood for so long.

No good came of any of that protesting by us farmers.

This time I won't be protesting, I have to keep many more animals now with less labour to keep the wolf from the door.

 

[mixedfmr]

With all due respect, the last line of the post is my opinion, the rest of the post is my observations during conversations with the public. I’m not asking how to change a wheel bearing on a TW25.
The problems facing each individual farmer’s business is his own business, whereas we as an industry are all facing very common problems within the wider agricultural sector, just like the dozen or so countries protesting farmers around the world from Canada to India.
Other countries farmers have managed to get common problems into simple messages, such as; climate change restrictions, cost of production, regulation, cheap imports, and ultimately simple profitability.
My post is trying to stimulate conversation about why we in the UK don’t feel the need to join in a worldwide series of farmer protests, and what this lack of activity is doing to our public image.
Surely your response would be better asking why our industry representatives have not succeeded using the drip drip method into Government ears if as an industry worldwide we all have similar problems, most of which are thrust upon us by worldwide Governments.
We are price takers, therefore we have very little effect individually.
Simply because each of us have found different ways to stay afloat should not detract from how farm profitability Is now zero.

The Welsh are under Labour control, In a few months time, we almost certainly will be. Their biggest problem is net zero, could be ours shortly, cant understand why we dont help them and hijack this cause, as the farmer has answers, but we wont give them away
Mass apathey in our industry, the weather is on our side at the moment, but when the sun comes out there wont be anyone here either

 

[glasshouse]

As an aside on this one
Neighbour had his years pile of scrap taken away 20 yds from his house

A nissan pickup?

 

[kiwi pom]

My post is trying to stimulate conversation about why we in the UK don’t feel the need to join in a worldwide series of farmer protests, and what this lack of activity is doing to our public image.

At a guess, as I've said before, because UK farmers and landowners (sorry but you have to put them together) are a very diverse bunch. From the young non farming new starter trying to rent a few paddocks to run some sheep to the person who has inherited a bunch of land, doesn't want to farm, but wants to be a farmer for tax reasons to someone like Dyson who bring in outside money and want to farm in a large way, to someone who just wants to be a landlord.
Some farmers want to produce food and be free of interference, some want more subs and are happy to set up whatever scheme will pay them for the least fuss.
Some farm for tax reasons, some just love it, some treat it as a hobby, some need to make a living from it, some are very wealthy some are not, some want to protest, some don't.

How do you make sense of all that?

As Delilah says, what do YOU want?

 

[Farmer Roy]

It's not a 'golden opportunity', it's folks letting off steam.
Solutions come about through a constant drip drip into the ears of the decision makers, not through spasmodic bursts of protest.
It helps, of course, if the problems to which solutions are needed are first identified.
What do you see as the problems facing your business ?

SINGLE BIGGEST threat facing agriculture in Australia IS climate change.
From grass roots farmers through to industry leader levels

can’t see many UK farmers accepting that or protesting about

 

[mixedfmr]

A nissan pickup?

not big enough, he just found it gone

 

[bluebell]

The farming, agricultural, horticultural voice gets smaller by the day, as people that earn all or most of their living by that gets smaller, "hobby farming yes, its like, escape to the countryside, by a villia in france" great entertainment, but not "real life", real life is a young married woman, upland hill farmer in the UK. On youtube, ( no doubt on youtube to try to make farming pay?), having major, worry and stress, over bills, finding the money, and having to sell just to pay them?

 

[Tamar]

Probably not protesting yet as livestock farmers are too busy and arable farmers are still skiing !



European farmers protesting will hopefully raise their prices, which in turn will raise ours...........and we haven't been called whinging farmers in the process.

I would sooner protest outside RT's offices than on the streets..... as I know they have screwed every British farmer for years

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I am too busy to protest I am afraid.

I also quite like the idea of the new SFI options as it is right on message with the way I farm. I will be worse off though when compared to SFP

The worst part of Brexit for me is the virtually uncontrolled import of meat produced to lower standards, particularly pork and bacon especially with the threat of ASF.

The best part of Brexit is now imagining what the Whitehall interpretation of the 'Brussels Regs' would have done to my business and the countryside. If the EU farmers are protesting then we would have had more reason than them to protest - whether we would have done so or not I have no idea. I agree that the Welsh have a problem though

Back at the turn of the century pig farmers here protested at ports, supermarkets and in Parliament Square (for about 3 months). It made us feel a bit better, I joined in all of that .

At the ports I was in the weighbridge and up level with the truck drivers who were bringing in the cheap foreign pork reared under systems illegal in the UK by then, I must admit that I felt a bit lame talking to drivers who were only doing their job. It didn't make any difference really to the scheme of things, UK pig farmers went out of business, our pigmeat imports are now significantly more than they were.

At the Supermarkets we talked to customers on the way in to their weekly shop, stating our case, showing the restrictions of the now UK illegal sow stalls with a full scale model of a stall and a sow. The prospective customers nodded wisely and agreed and then went in and bought the cheapest.

In Parliament Square, we kept a pig in an ark next to Winston, there was no trouble at all although everytime Tony went past on his way to the house we had an uninterrupted view of the backs of dozens of policemen who reasoned that since we had a great heap of pig muck and a fork - there could be an incedent. All our MP's came out to see us and it was a jolly atmosphere. We left under police advice when the Mayday protests about globalisation were about to happen and indeed a lot of shop windows were smashed in sight of were we had stood for so long.

No good came of any of that protesting by us farmers.

This time I won't be protesting, I have to keep many more animals now with less labour to keep the wolf from the door.

We felt like we were doing something. That is about the sum total of what we got out of the Winnie the pig protest. Which in itself, probably made it worthwhile.