mark perego
Member
- Location
- in a river
keep posting my man. We need a debate about these things
Not going to work for nothing
- Thread starter mark perego
- Start date
livestock 1
Member
Lol I think I will give up! I have a fair bit at stake I thought that putting these points forward was the right thing to do. I have three family coming on into the business so it’s not just me to think about
- Location
- Limousin, France
Cannot claim ICHN ( Less Favoured Area) payment over the age of 63 retired or not. Cannot claim state pension and continue farming unless you claim NO subsidies
Pieces_of_Eight
Member
This would certainly increase resilience to a reduction in agricultural income.
mark perego
Member
- Location
- in a river
That it would,selling 700 lambs should be enough to keep you though,shouldn’t have to supplement income as well.theyre enough work for one person near enough full time. With a few sucklers
Pieces_of_Eight
Member
True, and 400? acres of arable (with no operations contracted out) should be enough to keep a family, but these days it just isn't. [see 17 other threads on the officially accepted acreage per family]
Spending time off farm could easily give a better return per hour.
- Location
- North Antrim
I can confirm that it does.
A lot of the subsidy bashers have narrowed their sights on individual farmers being given loadsa money, which is obviously an easy way to garner resentment towards them and of subsidies, but it is completely ignorant of the much wider economic benefits that they provide.
Farmers are very good at spending money when they have it, nothing worse than seeing the taxman make off with thousands after a profitable year! This benefits a whole host of subsidiary businesses, especially in rural areas which has a massive effect on the more fragile communities.
How far down the efficiency route do we want to go? 1 man per how many sheep or cattle or acres? I think looking after a couple of thousand sheep on my own in a deserted countryside sounds truly awful. We are not designed to work alone, maybe the suicide rates in NZ should stand as a stark warning to us.
Subsidies are an incredibly powerful tool for directing U.K. Ag, from all out production to more recent environmental incentives (as many of one as ill thought out as the other).
With population levels ever increasing I think the government needs to look seriously at the sustainability of production and soil health, taking advice from genuine and experienced experts, and perhaps not from opinion pieces in the guardian.
The best (obviously not the only) model for achieving the highest food quality, sustainability, environmental, rural business and community benefits has to be the smaller scale mixed family farm and I think it is exactly this that should be supported by government.
Farmers are very good at spending money when they have it, nothing worse than seeing the taxman make off with thousands after a profitable year! This benefits a whole host of subsidiary businesses, especially in rural areas which has a massive effect on the more fragile communities.
How far down the efficiency route do we want to go? 1 man per how many sheep or cattle or acres? I think looking after a couple of thousand sheep on my own in a deserted countryside sounds truly awful. We are not designed to work alone, maybe the suicide rates in NZ should stand as a stark warning to us.
Subsidies are an incredibly powerful tool for directing U.K. Ag, from all out production to more recent environmental incentives (as many of one as ill thought out as the other).
With population levels ever increasing I think the government needs to look seriously at the sustainability of production and soil health, taking advice from genuine and experienced experts, and perhaps not from opinion pieces in the guardian.
The best (obviously not the only) model for achieving the highest food quality, sustainability, environmental, rural business and community benefits has to be the smaller scale mixed family farm and I think it is exactly this that should be supported by government.
livestock 1
Member
Hallelujah
livestock 1
Member
My point is that deadweight prices haven’t moved significantly for years. This is the base platform for beef and lamb. I believe that our product is a better alternative to a more inferior product transported half way around the world. Apologies if that appears to be moaning having said that some points need to be put forward regardless if it suits people or not
Well said.
and silently over the years people call it a day keeping farm livestock, some places that had cattle and sheep say twenty years ago are defoid of animals, the trouble with it the few who are keeping going are either hobby farmers or doing it by the thousand like beeflots, the ideal world would be lots of small to medium size family farms, not one who farms thousands of acres, strength in numbers, it should have been law many years ago that when a farm is sold it cant be sold in lots? Now most farms are sold to get the best price are sold like house and buildings and few acres to lifesyle byer and the rest to other larger farmers who possibly fund it with rolluover money, so another small family working farm is lost?
spark_28
Member
- Location
- Western isles
im getting rid of my small flock of sheep. lamb prices normally hit £50 if im lucky, thankfully my COP is relatively small but profit margin is crap too.
Going to get hebridean sheep or blackface, keep the wedders till the following year and try and sell boxed. its the only way i can realisitcally make a decent profit out of keeping sheep. Have miles of common grazing i can utilize, feeding would be extremely minimal too so hopefully be increasing my profit and reducing my COP. sounds too easy though i suppose.
Going to get hebridean sheep or blackface, keep the wedders till the following year and try and sell boxed. its the only way i can realisitcally make a decent profit out of keeping sheep. Have miles of common grazing i can utilize, feeding would be extremely minimal too so hopefully be increasing my profit and reducing my COP. sounds too easy though i suppose.
- Location
- North Wales
Who fund it with free subsidy money. How does that help the argument for sub's when its also destroying the smaller farms?
- Location
- Fife
700 lambs is no where near a full time job!
You could get them off 500 ewes. What on earth are you doing with 500 ewes to make it a full time job?
Or 1000 ewes, depends whereabouts you are in the country.
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
If you can make a living it is
- Location
- East Sussex
You are right but farming is a long term game and we should be steering the direction we are going. Everyone knows the old school thinking about production of commodities has to change in order for us to survive. There will be some great farmers and beautiful countryside that may fall to the wayside unnecessarily simply because there was no plan going forwards. There is a lot of talk of old blood leaving the industry and ‘freeing’ up land for new entrants, it would be a bugger if they finally got in the driving seat and found there was no where to go.
Until we get a really progressive and forward thinking united front to push our cause I fear that is entirely what’s going to happen.
One of the biggest problems is that farmers are so resilient. That word has been used on this thread a few times but it could be a fine line between resilience and outright stupidity.
Hilly
Member
- Location
- Scottish Borders.
A comfortable living could be made off 500 ewes.
