Farm Diary December 10 2008

I was in Scotland last week for 24 hours, and the flight up was a real pleasure, with snowy fields below glittering in the sun. Taking off from Gatwick was interesting; the aircraft flying sideways on take-off as a strong gust of wind caught it. There were only a few of us on board, and I had casually 'volunteered' to man one of the emergency exits (which must be done apparently), only to suddenly realise I might need to get to grips with the emergency procedure as we embarked on a fairground type experience.

As usual I had not paid attention to the instructions (my old school-teachers would be nodding knowingly at this unsurprising revelation), but lets be honest, getting to grips with how the door opens and securing the 'chute' is not likely to be one's greatest concern!

It's been a busy week, starting with a visit to Brussels to Chair the COPA (European farming Unions) meeting, attempting to get agreement between 28 countries on CAP reform (latest known as the 'Health-check'), whilst simultaneously listening to translations on my head-phones, the urgent whisperings of the nervous COPA Secretary, and ignoring the (well known) representative of a Southern country who had gone on at great length once already.

Meetings must run to time, as the translators will leave at the appointed time, whether we have finished or not; nothing sharpens the Chairman's mind more than that I can tell you!

In the afternoon at the Commission, I tackled the commissioner on various agenda items we had discussed in the morning. I challenged him that the CAP is now not only more complex, but in fact less common, as greater latitude is given to national governments to take money from the 'single farm payment' and use it to assist various groups in upland areas, or less favoured areas.

Our government will of course take as much as it can, and together with Natural England and the RSPB, use it on environmental schemes, which means that England (Scotland and Wales have government on side) becomes less competitive. It is quite clear now that Hillary Benn, Defra and Natural England have no interest whatsoever in productive agriculture, and are presiding over the demise of large areas and huge number of farmers, who are set to leave the industry.

There is a real danger that large chunks of production in livestock enterprises (pig, poultry, dairy, and beef) are set to be exported for ever unless something is done. As the retailers fight the bloodiest war ever seen (they are only just getting into their stride), they are squeezing processors and suppliers, who in turn will turn on the farmers.

It is imperative that a fair distribution of margins along the supply chain is policed, as without such policing; the short termism of the retailer will ruin the long term viability for many.

The NFU is 100 years old today (Wednesday), and many of the issues faced over that time are still with us today, namely low prices, the battle against animal disease, and cheap imports.

The NFU was started in Lincolnshire, when a group of farmers led by a bull of a man called Colin Campbell, met in the ante-room at the Smithfield show on Dec:10th 1908 and formed the National Farmers Union. Colin Campbell was derided by many for attempting to unite 'the one class of men who would never combine' (Amen to that!).

However, history tells us that he was ultimately successful in achieving his dream. The first resolution in 1909 called on government to take eradication of Bovine TB more seriously (which of course they did with eradication tantalisingly close in the 1950s).

The early decades were very tough as successive governments refused to protect British agriculture in the way it was protected on the continent (where have I come across this before?), until war broke, and then starvation looked everyone in the eye.

The folly of allowing production to fall below 70% of consumption became obvious, and has only recently been allowed to happen yet again. As politicians and the general public got behind agriculture, amazing results and huge productivity ensued, followed by the technical revolution in the sixties.

As food became plentiful and prices dropped, the government have now changed priorities from productive agriculture to environment and climate change. The difficulty seems to be in striking the right balance, although the recession might lend a hand in bringing common sense into play.

The farmer has always been depicted as a moaning old sod, and of course there is more than an element of truth in this. Working on his own, battling with the weather, always feeling that he is taken advantage of by others who squeeze his price at every opportunity, it is no wonder that the glass is more often than not 'half-empty'.

Admitting or worse, pretending that all is well, might tempt those 'suits' to take more for themselves, leaving him with less. The front page of the 'Farmer's Guardian' last week showed a dairy farmer who has decided to give up milk production following Dairy Farmers of Britain's (a dairy Co-operative) decision to cut the milk price, pumping over 5000 litres of milk (three days worth) into the slurry lagoon 'to teach them a lesson'.

As NFU Dairy Board Chairman, shall I shoot myself now?