Public Accounts Committee enquiry into ELMS

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Well, we have collectively been telling them for 18months, but WTH do we know.... Bunch of straw sucking yokels....
Yes, but it'll be ok, as we will have to get an additional income from elsewhere and also be more productive. After all it's not like we've had to strip everything to the bone to get where we are now, no more fat left to strip. Why should I have to work somewhere else to subsidise cheap food for plebs that spend more money on their mobile phones than they do food a year.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Yes, but it'll be ok, as we will have to get an additional income from elsewhere and also be more productive. After all it's not like we've had to strip everything to the bone to get where we are now, no more fat left to strip. Why should I have to work somewhere else to subsidise cheap food for plebs that spend more money on their mobile phones than they do food a year.
I kind of think that's the point. Farmers have been taken for a ride. If you don't look carefully at the farm accounts (who does?), it's easy to think everything's hunky dory on the farm.

From the report: Without direct payments, over a third of farms would have made a loss. We're basically on social security.

There's no way that can be considered sustainable. Maybe the govt wants a healthy and profitable farm sector? Removing direct subsidies will force one out come, which is that food will have to be paid for as you say. Maybe from imports to start with (47% coming from abroad already, also in the report) but the chances are that price and supply won't be that reliable and we'll be back in the game.
 
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Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I kind of think that's the point. Farmers have been taken for a ride. If you don't look carefully at the farm accounts (who does?), it's easy to think everything's hunky dory on the farm.

From the report: Without direct payments, over a third of farms would have made a loss. We're basically on social security.

There's no way that can be considered sustainable. Maybe the govt wants a healthy and profitable farm sector? Removing direct subsidies will force one out come, which is that food will have to be paid for as you say. Maybe from imports to start with (47% coming from abroad already, also in the report) but the chances are that price and supply won't be that reliable and we'll be back in the game.
For those that are left, and on the land that has not been planted with trees and relying on the few ancillary industries that are left!
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
I think that the PAC actually has some members who are following threads here on TFF!

Just read the summary, and then go back (if you had the time) over the past 12months worth of comments and discussion here, and see if we missed ANYTHING at all.... I doubt it.

I think we need TFF in at the high level of "co-design", possibly Ministerial level...

So that is both EFRA and PAC who have come up with damning reports and conclusions... Time for Eustace to face up to the realities and go beyond the farcial greenwashing measures that will be the unsatisfactory outcome of ELMS, as it stands,.

I hope they’ve been following my polls on whether farmers are interested in entering SFI…!
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I kind of think that's the point. Farmers have been taken for a ride. If you don't look carefully at the farm accounts (who does?), it's easy to think everything's hunky dory on the farm.

From the report: Without direct payments, over a third of farms would have made a loss. We're basically on social security.

There's no way that can be considered sustainable. Maybe the govt wants a healthy and profitable farm sector? Removing direct subsidies will force one out come, which is that food will have to be paid for as you say. Maybe from imports to start with (47% coming from abroad already, also in the report) but the chances are that price and supply won't be that reliable and we'll be back in the game.
Maybe some will be back in the game... I suspect a lot will have gone within a year or two as the accountants start to see the figures and the Banks start twitching.
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I kind of think that's the point. Farmers have been taken for a ride. If you don't look carefully at the farm accounts (who does?), it's easy to think everything's hunky dory on the farm.

From the report: Without direct payments, over a third of farms would have made a loss. We're basically on social security.

There's no way that can be considered sustainable. Maybe the govt wants a healthy and profitable farm sector? Removing direct subsidies will force one out come, which is that food will have to be paid for as you say. Maybe from imports to start with (47% coming from abroad already, also in the report) but the chances are that price and supply won't be that reliable and we'll be back in the game.


What is sustainable?

Producing food with a zero carbon footprint?
or
Producing food with enough income to stay in business

SFI should be about making both possible.

They seem to be reducing Countryside Stewardship payments for those that were trying to farm sustainably because their income foregone relies heavily on BPS which is going.

If they want these practices to continue, they should have doubled the payment, not half it.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Maybe some will be back in the game... I suspect a lot will have gone within a year or two as the accountants start to see the figures and the Banks start twitching.
Depends on your rent or borrowings I suppose. Some might pack up the farming, let it go and take the rewilding money just to avoid selling up.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
What is sustainable?

Producing food with a zero carbon footprint?
or
Producing food with enough income to stay in business

SFI should be about making both possible.

They seem to be reducing Countryside Stewardship payments for those that were trying to farm sustainably because their income foregone relies heavily on BPS which is going.

If they want these practices to continue, they should have doubled the payment, not half it.
I was meaning economically sustainable.
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Depends on your rent or borrowings I suppose. Some might pack up the farming, let it go and take the rewilding money just to avoid selling up.

There is an assumption that the choice is simply to farm, or to rewild.

When even the most low grade farmland is worth many £000's an acre, do they not realise that the derisory sums offered make any option seem preferable.
Dog walking, scrambling tracks, holiday chalets etc, will all increase, at much expense to nature.
 

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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