Should George Eustice be removed as Secretary of State?

[steveR]

Useless is a huge disappointment.

I was rather impressed by Tim Farron and Daniel Zeichner at a recent PAC re ELMs. Particularly regarding the BPS reductions hitting Tenant farmers and the fact that ELMs is split into three separate parts of LR, LNR and SFI. How ridiculous when Gove’s originally concept was to simplify it all.
However, also at the meeting was Tory, Victoria Prentice who was about as arrogant as anybody I have ever come across. Both she and Eustace should go immediately!


With what is going on in the world and how our Government seems to be the only one that wants to persist in taking food growing land out of production, I’m seriously wondering how on earth it thinks it will do well in the Election of 2024. By which time everybody will be seriously effected by hyper fuel and food inflation. I’m wondering if either of the other parties would persist with ELMs?

Possibly we should be asking that question of Mr Farron and other politicians now....?

No matter what anyone may think of Gove, he is highly competent... and was never going to stop with an Ag brief for very long.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Possibly we should be asking that question of Mr Farron and other politicians now....?

No matter what anyone may think of Gove, he is highly competent... and was never going to stop with an Ag brief for very long.

Elms is his baby.

 

[Steevo]

simplifying things not making them more complicated

and following the market, not bucking the trend for "fashion".

 

[Steevo]

What you say about not knowing where prices will be in say, 12 month's time, is the same for any business. There's two options I can think of: buy and sell forward or cut costs.

If n fert is really going to be £1000 a tonne, which seems to be around £600 a hectare rough estimate, who can afford that? So you either use less, or take the view that wheat will have to go up and go for it.

Thousands of people take out mortgages knowing there's a possibility that house prices may fall or the job might go. It's the real world.

Farmers have been feather bedded with the cap. Time to move on. Changing the DEFRA minister or even the government won't change anything.

We all vote Tory, whinge and own a lot of expensive land. If food does eventually go short, we might get some respect but expect the corporate food system to blame us, even though they will have caused it.

Part of the problem is that the market price available for next year doesn't really reflect the growing costs based on fertiliser prices now for next year.

So either don't plant a crop, or plant a crop but only use half rate fert. I'm not sure many have experience with doing that so the yield is a bit of an unknown too which adds to the risk.

What we need is a collective producer marketing organisation that we all sign up to and agree to lock the sheds and not to sell a grain until the market price exceeds the COP by a sufficient margin. It would almost create a sense of Union of Farmers across the Nation. I guess that would be the simplest way to suggest what's missing.

 

[PaulNix]

I know his cousin, he is not impressed with George either but I guess he is being told what to say

He's got a lot of cousins and unsure any of us ever were very impressed with him.......

 

[Sid]

He's got a lot of cousins and unsure any of us ever were very impressed with him.......

Isn't most of Cornwall "cousins"

 

[PaulNix]

Isn't most of Cornwall "cousins"

In some parts that would be classed as distantly related.

 

[andybk]

To much meddling in the civil service by the likes of the Goldsmiths and carries other friends , Eustice is just a mouthpiece , Natural england and rspb , have been working behind the scene for years

 

[celtis man]

He's got a lot of cousins and unsure any of us ever were very impressed with him.......

Ah we know the Quint one

 

[Ffermer Bach]

To much meddling in the civil service by the likes of the Goldsmiths and carries other friends , Eustice is just a mouthpiece , Natural england and rspb , have been working behind the scene for years

they want all farm animals gone I think, but now with the cost of fertliser, they are stuffed, and don't know what to say! Except "no shortages in the supermarkets here". They haven't joined the dots and realised grazing with ruminants is needed for long term soil health, but being as they are all highly educated, I am sure they won't either!

 

[colhonk]

Gove, he has ruined education, sh!t on agriculture and I believe he has bugger£d whatever else he has had a hand in.

 

[D14]

Seemed like a worthwhile question given announcements of late.

Yes he is the worst one I have EVER seen. I am actually sitting here thinking I should of voted for Labour because I think they get the whole agriculture and food thing.

 

[Two Tone]

He just doesn't get it, does he!

Thanks to a suggestion by @delilah from one of the ELMs information threads, I listened to this morning's Farming today program on BBC Sounds
Take a listen to it from 7.00 minutes in to the end.

How and why does George Eustice include any BPS payments in Gross Margin Accounts?
They are a completely different entity!

What sort of idiot expects us to believe any reduction in payments is justified by alleged increases is crop/livestock sales prices?

Never mind that he fails to mention the hyper inflation with regards Variable and Fixed Costs
What a complete and utter TOSSER!

As Julia Anglionby says, his figures are out of date and that reality is very different from What George Eustice is saying.

Somebody ought to teach him what a Gross Margin Account is and includes, what Fixed Costs are and Net Farm Income/ Losses are. Then somebody needs to explain to him and RPA how important Cash Flow is!

Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Two Tone]

The way George Eustice views Sustainable Farm Incentive, SFI, which should be Sustainable Farm INCOME, is to rob Peter - being crop/livestock sales, to pay Paul, meaning to rob us farmers of their support!

As for his understanding of accountancy, if he were from a Banking background, the often common practice of miss spelling his name would change from 'B'anker to 'W'-----!

 

[warksfarmer]

Seemed like a worthwhile question given announcements of late.

The bloke is an imbecile. He’s incompetent.

 

[Widgetone]

The bloke is an imbecile. He’s incompetent.

That is surely mandaTORY for Cabinet?

 

[Fish]

He’s not even a useful idiot, but what is really terrifying is the fact that neither dear old dimwit George nor his department juniors who compile his notes and speeches realise that all he spouts is complete and utter bs.

 

[DaveGrohl]

He just doesn't get it, does he!

Thanks to a suggestion by @delilah from one of the ELMs information threads, I listened to this morning's Farming today program on BBC Sounds
Take a listen to it from 7.00 minutes in to the end.

How and why does George Eustice include any BPS payments in Gross Margin Accounts?
They are a completely different entity!

What sort of idiot expects us to believe any reduction in payments is justified by alleged increases is crop/livestock sales prices?

Never mind that he fails to mention the hyper inflation with regards Variable and Fixed Costs
What a complete and utter TOSSER!

As Julia Anglionby says, his figures are out of date and that reality is very different from What George Eustice is saying.

Somebody ought to teach him what a Gross Margin Account is and includes, what Fixed Costs are and Net Farm Income/ Losses are. Then somebody needs to explain to him and RPA how important Cash Flow is!

Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He’s a politician, and therefore completely unaware of anything remotely business related. Maths is mythical to all of them. We don’t need it as a country. Just ask Rishi.

 

[Cowabunga]

Unfortunately his pronouncements and claims have proven without doubt the Eustace is incompetent and clueless. No better than most of the rest of the bunch of sad clowns that we voted to run the country.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

If you want to have a go at someone, look at who is selling at or below the cost of production and ask them why.

Production costs are rising faster than what we are producing. The buyers don't want to pay any more, so we let it go at the old price. When it runs short, they might pay more (if they can't import).

Isn't this a straightforward market supply and demand situation?

Why is it George's fault?

Please don't say "feed the nation" or "starving people round the world". Farmer's cash flow is our responsibility not his.

Remember Debenhams or Woollies?