Europe-can we survive on the outside

[willy]

I personally think from an agricultual perspective we would suffer in the short term. But I would actually like to see us leave the union. Trade world wide is fairly mobile thanks to technology and I think we possibly underestimate our "brand" name as United Kingdom, as a positive sales tactic outside of Europe.


Discuss.....

 

[Thick Farmer]

What do you call the short term? I don't fancy being skint for the next 20 years!

 

[Sweepa]

No single farm payment is worrying , not sure how that would impact things. Heard some politicians say it would revitalise farming without actually saying how.... typical politicians.

 

[cooksey]

we wouldn't be pumping so much money into euro we wouldn't be pumping so much money into supporting immigrants so we would have more money to invest into farming it might not be as much as single farm payment but i am sure that as we would be able to fight for prices against the world we would be better of so the loss in some payment might not be as bad as you worry

 

[GTB]

A lot of us would go bust in the transition period. Me for one.

 

[cudota]

Is it a case that the EU will dissolve before we have a choice as to whether we pull out or not

 

[Pedders]

A lot of us would go bust in the transition period. Me for one.

not if UKIP take us out ...... guaranteed payments of £80.00 acre or are you worried about the £120,000 cap
and they're offering headage payments

 

[DrWazzock]

Hard figures.

Myself and my brother on 200 acres grade three mixed farm. 50% arable, 50% beef and sheep.

Last years accounts showed a profit of £37,000, but that included £18000 of SFP and ELS.

So the crops and stock made £19,000 or about £100 per acre in their own right. This was swallowed up by overheads like insurance etc and a small amount if reinvestment.

Myself and my brother drew out as living expenses or had reallocated to our shares about £8000 each.

So essentially the SFP pays our wages. The farm would be alright if it could run itself without us!

Without SFP and without other support or serious price rises we would have to make radical changes, either sell up, let it (if anybody would have it) or more likely either ranch graze the lot, (most likely) and get another job. Some would say we should do that anyway, but ironically the production per acre would probably be halved and we would move away from being resource sustainable and balanced to having to buy in more inputs and ending up with the land sheep sick or burnt out if all arable.

We would get the same price as we do now for products. They are traded on world markets.

 

[Jackson4]

No single farm payment is worrying , not sure how that would impact things. Heard some politicians say it would revitalise farming without actually saying how.... typical politicians.

It would get rid of half of the farmers for a start.. Farms would have to be much bigger to have a safe income in a bad year. I can't see land/machinery/ diesel/ and other inputs falling as quick, or at all. Land prices arent related to profit from farming now. This will mean farming is a closed shop unless you do it for a hobby.... Landlords ain't going to quarter the rent because you are a start up farm and have big overheads... Those owned farms, with payed for livestock and machinery, land etc will take any rented land.
Depends which boat your in... Some it will ruin, some will be safe enough to take advantage. Red tape won't change and these other markets are out there already.

 

[DrWazzock]

not if UKIP take us out ...... guaranteed payments of £80.00 acre or are you worried about the £120,000 cap
and they're offering headage payments
View attachment 78862

I like the NVZ relaxation. It is way over the top for all except the most intensive livestock enterprises, and even there it could be simplified. At least UKIP appear to listen, whereas seem to be guided by academics.

 

[DrWazzock]

It would get rid of half of the farmers for a start.. Farms would have to be much bigger to have a safe income in a bad year. I can't see land/machinery/ diesel/ and other inputs falling as quick, or at all. Land prices arent related to profit from farming now. This will mean farming is a closed shop unless you do it for a hobby.... Landlords ain't going to quarter the rent because you are a start up farm and have big overheads... Those owned farms, with payed for livestock and machinery, land etc will take any rented land.
Depends which boat your in... Some it will ruin, some will be safe enough to take advantage. Red tape won't change and these other markets are out there already.

I could see some big estates coming up for sale as well though. land might be a safe home for capital but nobody would want to empty their current account into a farming business year on year. Happened in the 30's. Great grandad was piaid to keep land on some big estates in good order. No crops grown on it until the war broke out!

 

[GTB]

not if UKIP take us out ...... guaranteed payments of £80.00 acre or are you worried about the £120,000 cap
and they're offering headage payments
View attachment 78862

It's very easy for UKIP to promise the world, knowing they have no chance of running the country. The same happened here with Plaid Cymru, they said all the right things but when they went into coalition with Labour in the Assembly they soon found that their policies were pye in the sky.

 

[will l]

Your biggest problem will be keeping any national subsidy when the goverment changes how much would you be getting after toy blair had finished? Any french government would fall if they didnt support farming but in england farmer bashing is almost a sport!

 

[roscoe erf]

i can't see why we would loose farmers or farms getting bigger anymore than we are now the uk can stand on its own we can produce food for ourselves and we would still be able to export despite the nay sayers London will still be the capital of the banking insurance hedge funding financial markets we won't be ostracised in fact things may even get better quicker
we would certainly get on better with our neighbours i can not see it changing my bottom line for the worse if marketed right uk agriculture could be one of the best in the world

 

[Muck Spreader]

It would be a catch 22 for me. From a farming point of view I would be happy to see the UK leave the EU and take all it's anti farming rhetoric with it. As a UK citizen living abroad it was cause me a lot more additional problems in both the UK and France.

 

[cudota]

i can't see why we would loose farmers or farms getting bigger anymore than we are now the uk can stand on its own we can produce food for ourselves and we would still be able to export despite the nay sayers London will still be the capital of the banking insurance hedge funding financial markets we won't be ostracised in fact things may even get better quicker
we would certainly get on better with our neighbours i can not see it changing my bottom line for the worse if marketed right uk agriculture could be one of the best in the world

I have to put a like to that..you talk sense when your not taking the pis*

 

[Against_the_grain]

I like UKIP's view on farming and like a lot of things they say its common sense. BUT do I actually believe this UKIP farming subsidy would happen if they were voted in and we left Europe? NO. What happens if the Conservatives get voted in and we have an In/Out referendum and the country votes out? What is their policy on UK farming if we left?

 

[roscoe erf]

I have to put a like to that..you talk sense when your not taking the pis*

not just a 1 trick pony then

 

[cudota]

I like UKIP's view on farming and like a lot of things they say its common sense. BUT do I actually believe this UKIP farming subsidy would happen if they were voted in and we left Europe? NO. What happens if the Conservatives get voted in and we have an In/Out referendum and the country votes out? What is their policy on UK farming if we left?

There isn't one ..the Tory's don't believe we will leave its Dave's charade to keep the electorate on side till after the election

 

[SilliamWhale]

Its tricky.

Europe doesn't cost as much as we think. Where's that pie chart on UK tax and spend? Welfare and Health take up massive spending but payments to Europe are relatively small.

We don't really need Europe in order to trade, we don't need them to allow movement of labour - we can decide how to manage that ourselves anyway.

I'm minded to say we're more flexible for the future if out of it given the fact that fundamentally its financial control system is rotten and if we had a referendum I think I'd vote out. But I wouldn't vote UKIP in a general election, too jingoistic.