The Times: Older farmers ‘should be offered cottages’ to retire

Muck Spreader

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin
IMO it's up to you when you retire not another branch of the clipboard police. It's just like forcing old folk to downsize their house, if they want to say put fine, so long as the pay their dues. No one lives forever, so these properties ultimately become available.
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
leave the old farmers alone if they want to carry on farming its up to them if they want to let THEIR land out its up to them, why the big need for young farmers to take over ? every other bloody thread on here is saying that the food is not wanted anyway and its much better to import it
I'm a bit torn on this one. On the one hand I don't think it's right to make old farmers give up their land and homes, but on the other hand It's terribly sad to see farms going to wreck and ruin (with the associated livestock welfare issues) when someone is too old to cope or simply too stubborn to give up.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
I'm a bit torn on this one. On the one hand I don't think it's right to make old farmers give up their land and homes, but on the other hand It's terribly sad to see farms going to wreck and ruin (with the associated livestock welfare issues) when someone is too old to cope or simply too stubborn to give up.
the livestock welfare is a separate issue, the worst I have seen was not an old farmer
in a way is it not what we are told the public want farms going to rack and ruin, lots of weeds lots of wildlife [not my preference I must say]
 

Dave645

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
N Lincs
IMO it's up to you when you retire not another branch of the clipboard police. It's just like forcing old folk to downsize their house, if they want to say put fine, so long as the pay their dues. No one lives forever, so these properties ultimately become available.
I agree no farmer should be forced, as no law exists to do so and is unlikly to be ever made I don't think it's an issue, but don't mix up, they continue because they have to, with those that wish to, but with no good way out, farmers are often trapped into farming well into their late 70's and 80's. Only farming to pass it on or to keep a roof over their heads.
 

Muck Spreader

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin
the livestock welfare is a separate issue, the worst I have seen was not an old farmer
in a way is it not what we are told the public want farms going to rack and ruin, lots of weeds lots of wildlife [not my preference I must say]

Most of the welfare problems have seen over the years have been down to folk with no experience buying land and animals and thinking they can farm. Nothing to do with age just ignorance and often arrogance.
 

DRC

Member
This last generati
Remove the subsidy. The inefficient will go bust.
whats your definition of inefficient?
I'd say the old boy with farm bought and paid for in a nice block, is going to be more efficient that a young chap tearing around the countryside, 7 days a week, often working in the dark, looking after thousands of sheep.
Anyone who is still farming at pensionable age, must've done something right and deserves respect.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
whats your definition of inefficient?
I'd say the old boy with farm bought and paid for in a nice block, is going to be more efficient that a young chap tearing around the countryside, 7 days a week, often working in the dark, looking after thousands of sheep.
Anyone who is still farming at pensionable age, must've done something right and deserves respect.

I agree entirely. My current operation is extremely inefficient.

If I do enough tearing about in the dark I'm hoping I'll be able to have a nice bought and paid for block. It would certainly cut down on my fuel bill!

I don't think tack sheep will exist in a post subsidy environment. Hill farming will certainly change beyond recognition. But I'm using the time till then to build capital and assets in the business. It's also a great way of making contacts (landowners and sheep owners). Maybe I can conjure up a more permanent and robust opportunity out of them?
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
I agree entirely. My current operation is extremely inefficient.

If I do enough tearing about in the dark I'm hoping I'll be able to have a nice bought and paid for block. It would certainly cut down on my fuel bill!

I don't think tack sheep will exist in a post subsidy environment. Hill farming will certainly change beyond recognition. But I'm using the time till then to build capital and assets in the business. It's also a great way of making contacts (landowners and sheep owners). Maybe I can conjure up a more permanent and robust opportunity out of them?
how long have you been doing this ?
don't for one minute think you can "get in to farming" through hard work its impossible don't you know, you have to win the lottery or be given it, it couldn't possibly pay for itself, been told that lots of times on here :whistle::whistle:
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
how long have you been doing this ?
don't for one minute think you can "get in to farming" through hard work its impossible don't you know, you have to win the lottery or be given it, it couldn't possibly pay for itself, been told that lots of times on here :whistle::whistle:

Just finished my 2nd winter of tack sheep.

Now starting to gather clients for summer contracting as well.
 

RedMerle

Member
Most normal people retire at 40 with a pension, army, police, civil service, then get a big payout and can still go into another job.

With the exception of the army the other jobs aren't quite retiring at 40. Somewhere closer to 50 but still earlier than others.

However that was on the really old pension. I was in the civil service 10 years ago and my pension did not have such generous terms. And now all public sector pensions are career average. So a civil servant now goes at the same pension age as everyone else. 67 for someone like me.

Anyone such as police retiring now or in about the next 3 years has a good pension but not for much longer. It's a kicker for the younger staff paying massive pension contributions so some 50 year old can go on cruises whilst they are 40 years old and facing 20 more years in the job.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
The CLA are obviously talking about tenants that they'd like to evict from their farms.

That's what it's about.

I've every respect for old farmers. I don't think there is any need for state intervention in when or how farmers retire. It's a personal decision for the farmer.

If the CLA are so concerned about older tenants needing to retire with dignity then maybe they could find them affordable retirement cottages from their own considerable resources.
 

Hilly

Member
I'm a bit torn on this one. On the one hand I don't think it's right to make old farmers give up their land and homes, but on the other hand It's terribly sad to see farms going to wreck and ruin (with the associated livestock welfare issues) when someone is too old to cope or simply too stubborn to give up.
Plenty young farmers with welfare issues which is another issue, if the farmer owns his farm and wants to let it go to wreck and ruin its his to do so no one elses business, also plenty young farmers with wreck n ruins.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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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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