Farming going down with hardly a whimper...

nelly55

Member
Location
Yorkshire
Yet again the farming community get told to jump and all we ask is how damn high.For goodness sake let’s start as we mean to go on,action is needed now.Let’s follow the French farmers attitude and do something .No wait a minute what’s that you say,the British people won’t like it,the farmers won’t stand together .Yes got it in one.Boris doesn’t give a toss over farming and food ,it’s all about how big they can look on the global market by selling us and every other industry down the river.For a start we can stop this carry on of selling wholesale and buying retail ,we name our price not the buyer.
 

Mark Hatton

Staff Member
Media
Location
Yorkshire
I know there are elements who despise Europe on here and that is fine, we are all entitled to our opinions. However British farming could learn a lot from French farmers amongst others. There is no way that France would be functioning today if this trade deal was happening here. The country would be gridlocked, what’s more the majority of the public would be behind them. There is still a connection here to farming and food production and great pride in local produce. If you don’t get together and do something physical like reduce supply it won’t get better. Your government and population need reminding who feeds them!
Out of interest why do you think that is? Is it down the fact that the culture is very different in France, and the wider Europe, much more time spent together as family units, food is looked at in a very different way, more traditional cooking than reliance of fast food, etc?
 
Out of interest why do you think that is? Is it down the fact that the culture is very different in France, and the wider Europe, much more time spent together as family units, food is looked at in a very different way, more traditional cooking than reliance of fast food, etc?
I think it is cultural and yes your definition is pretty spot on. As I understand it because of French inheritance law farms have been generally smaller, this combined with a land mass 2.5-3 times greater than the U.K. has meant that, by definition, there are more farmers thus more families connected to farmers, even if they have left the campagne they are still more in touch. Also France is a country known for food the world over, they know that this is because they produce wonderful produce and are rightly proud of both the produce ( and those who produce it) and the food reputation. It is all much more local here, even the individual (I.e each shop rather than as a chain) supermarkets are able to buy local food directly from local farmers and producers. We are in Charolais country here (only just as we are not far from the limousin border) so if you go out for a steak it is proudly shown as Charolais even if it is on a 12.50€ menu de jour in the local cafe. There is time here for food, it is a serious business not just grab fuel and run!
 

Mark Hatton

Staff Member
Media
Location
Yorkshire
I think it is cultural and yes your definition is pretty spot on. As I understand it because of French inheritance law farms have been generally smaller, this combined with a land mass 2.5-3 times greater than the U.K. has meant that, by definition, there are more farmers thus more families connected to farmers, even if they have left the campagne they are still more in touch. Also France is a country known for food the world over, they know that this is because they produce wonderful produce and are rightly proud of both the produce ( and those who produce it) and the food reputation. It is all much more local here, even the individual (I.e each shop rather than as a chain) supermarkets are able to buy local food directly from local farmers and producers. We are in Charolais country here (only just as we are not far from the limousin border) so if you go out for a steak it is proudly shown as Charolais even if it is on a 12.50€ menu de jour in the local cafe. There is time here for food, it is a serious business not just grab fuel and run!
My old man moved there 17 years ago, its a much nicer existence than the UK thats for sure .
 
And herein lies the problem. Irrespective of your views or those of you with alternate views if as an industry you don’t start pulling together and reminding those in power (of what ever political persuasions) who feeds the country then I think Europe or no Europe, Brexit or no Brexit you will find yourselves more and more marginalised in politics and society in general. The NFU will never come back from the wilderness to help so you ALL need to stop the divisive arguments and do something. Even if things are rosy today they probably won’t be next year or the one after. It’s no good closing doors watching the horse gallop off into the sunset!

Why do you all keep fighting each other?
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
What can Boris do ? Ag produce is but a small piece in the trade jigsaw. For small fry like me, a doubling in produce price is what I would need to be viable. That means quadruple the price in Tesco. That'll be a vote winner. It ain't going to happen. We are 30 years ( at least ) too late to turn the ship around.
It's akin to having a lookout for icebergs in the Atlantic 100 years after the Titanic left Southampton......
 
I would suggest that it is not what Boris can or can’t do but rather what you could do as an industry. You need the public to reconnect with who the British farmer is so that they choose to buy from you first. I know that goes against me saying you need to withhold production on the face of it but it is my opinion (which I am well aware means nothing in the scheme of things) that you need to start with direct action to open the narrative about why you are doing it. Empty bellies will concentrate minds very rapidly.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
And herein lies the problem. Irrespective of your views or those of you with alternate views if as an industry you don’t start pulling together and reminding those in power (of what ever political persuasions) who feeds the country then I think Europe or no Europe, Brexit or no Brexit you will find yourselves more and more marginalised in politics and society in general. The NFU will never come back from the wilderness to help so you ALL need to stop the divisive arguments and do something. Even if things are rosy today they probably won’t be next year or the one after. It’s no good closing doors watching the horse gallop off into the sunset!

Why do you all keep fighting each other?
It's a good question. COOPs never really seem to work. We were in a veg Coop in the 1980's / 90's. Some growers always had their produce shifted first, and others....spent their time repairing 1 ton boxes and greasing coop machinery.....

I do agree with one thing in the YT vid......our NFU is f**king useless.

I've noticed a lot on here much effort into talking the price of straw/ grain down, yet not much time spent trying to talk up the price of beef / lamb / milk. It's almost as if getting one over on another farmer is more important than anything else. Same with land grabbing. Paying silly rents just to make sure someone else doesn't get it........

Something else ingrained in our Ag culture. A bit like expecting hand outs to take the place of proper produce prices....
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
Now then chaps and chapesses, allow me to quote excerpts from a letter in today’s Times onthe very matter of the proposed trade deal with Australia...

“If the U.K. government gives tariff free access to low standard, low welfare Australian produce then it will pave the way for low standard deals with bigger trading nations. This food could end up in schools, hospitals and care homes.

The government would be breaking its manifesto commitment to maintain our standards. This deal would undermine our farmers and export U.K.s ecological and carbon footprints.

We urge Boris Johnson to rethink.”

And the signatories?

Chris Sherwood, RSPCA
Joanna Lewis, Soil Association
Jenna Hegarty, RSPB
Vicki Hird, Sustain
Josie Cohen, PAN UK
Kierra Box, Friends of the Earth, England, Wales & N Ireland
Tracy Worcester, Farms not Factories
James West, Compassion in World Farming
Martin Lines, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Jyoti Fernandes, Landworkers Alliance

Not sure how to take this tbh as they all wish to control UK farming to their own agendas but it does show that there are anti free trade NGOs with strong lobbying out there
 

Old Tup

Member
I know there are elements who despise Europe on here and that is fine, we are all entitled to our opinions. However British farming could learn a lot from French farmers amongst others. There is no way that France would be functioning today if this trade deal was happening here. The country would be gridlocked, what’s more the majority of the public would be behind them. There is still a connection here to farming and food production and great pride in local produce. If you don’t get together and do something physical like reduce supply it won’t get better. Your government and population need reminding who feeds them!
You could say in reality that the result of said demonstrations would amount to nothing more than kicking the can down the road.
Said “Can” has been kicked down the road ever since we joined the EU....EEC....
UK politicians have bitten the bullet......Subsidies are finished....Elm’s etc. amount to nothing more than some tacky flowers on top of UK Farmings Coffin!
First the Fishermen.....now the Farmers....and unless Ulster is very careful they will be next for a proper “Snake Oil Shafting”
The £sss spent supporting agriculture can buy a government far more votes creating wildlife havens....rewilding ...etc etc than keeping Farmer Giles in Range Rovers.
The party might not be over yet , it might drag on a while....but end it will.
 

Old Tup

Member
Now then chaps and chapesses, allow me to quote excerpts from a letter in today’s Times onthe very matter of the proposed trade deal with Australia...

“If the U.K. government gives tariff free access to low standard, low welfare Australian produce then it will pave the way for low standard deals with bigger trading nations. This food could end up in schools, hospitals and care homes.

The government would be breaking its manifesto commitment to maintain our standards. This deal would undermine our farmers and export U.K.s ecological and carbon footprints.

We urge Boris Johnson to rethink.”

And the signatories?

Chris Sherwood, RSPCA
Joanna Lewis, Soil Association
Jenna Hegarty, RSPB
Vicki Hird, Sustain
Josie Cohen, PAN UK
Kierra Box, Friends of the Earth, England, Wales & N Ireland
Tracy Worcester, Farms not Factories
James West, Compassion in World Farming
Martin Lines, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Jyoti Fernandes, Landworkers Alliance

Not sure how to take this tbh as they all wish to control UK farming to their own agendas but it does show that there are anti free trade NGOs with strong lobbying out there
And all would like a slice of the current £sss Gov. Support that gets paid out direct to Farmers...
Looks like they will be subject to collateral damage “Snake Oil Shafting”
 

ski

Member
The late Rabbi Johnathan Sachs was talking about the Jewish experience of WW2, and he said, "when reflecting on ones situation in difficult times you will ask only one of two possible questions that can be asked, the first is, who did this to us, the second is what did we do wrong, if you ask the first you will remain where you started, if you ask the second you will learn and move on"
Seems like as farmers we prefer the first.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 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

  • 1,293
  • 1
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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