Farmers don’t know where they fit in any more

The tradition of feeding the nation is being replaced by conservation, preservation and opening up the land

As a subject of debate, farming stirs the blood. My husband and I are dairy farmers and whenever I write on the subject I get feedback which falls into two categories. The first is supportive and tends to come from someone who either has a connection with, or interest in, the countryside, often going back to childhood. The second can be summed up in a few phrases: “feather-bedded,” “exploiting animals and the land” and “who do you think you are to expect special treatment?”. So good luck to Michael Gove, charged with reconciling disparate views about the management of the countryside when Britain leaves the EU.

Even before the Environment Secretary set out his principles for the future of farming subsidies, farmers were worried. Not so much about change itself – no one enjoys being referred to as a subsidy junkie, and the need for reform is obvious. It’s the government’s priorities, and where farming fits in, that is the concern.

Yesterday’s statement by Mr Gove did bring some clarity and was given a cautious welcome by Minette Batters, the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union.

But the trouble for farmers is that it can be difficult to know where they fit into the many conflicting arguments over the future of this country: we need more houses, more green spaces, preservation, conservation and food.

Will we be supported to produce food under the new regime, for example? The war is only just within living memory, along with the priority it placed on food production. But there is a mentality in farming that is slow to change – there are many farmers today whose grandparents were charged with feeding the nation and I have heard many a toast at NFU dinners that reflects that sense of importance and purpose. This is hard to reconcile with a country that has apparently embraced the impersonal and several-steps-removed supermarket experience.

You could argue that we farmers need to move on. But when the essence of what you do is to produce food it can be a big, undignified leap to play a different role: to be a parkkeeper or a person who demonstrates ancient skills to a group of visiting schoolchildren – a bit like those theme parks based on forgotten trades and industries.

Unlike many of the vanished industries, some sort of traditional farming is integral to the landscape so treasured by tourists, hikers, cyclists and those in need of solace. I often see a car parked up, with the driver leaning on a farm gate, taking in the – to me – fairly ordinary, though definitely pastoral, scene.

Mr Gove suggests providing farmers with funds to maintain and encourage public access to the countryside. We have a path running through part of our farm and my husband is far more likely to talk the ears off any passing walkers than to shout: “Get orf my land.” Like many smaller farmers, he spends hours working on his own and welcomes company. We often have walkers with their maps on our farm, ranging from young people taking their Duke of Edinburgh award to fit retired groups. We live not too far from the part of the Peak District, Kinder Scout, where a mass trespass took place in 1932. The British Workers’ Sports Federation, led by Benny Rothman, decided that they were entitled to a dose of fresh air and exercise in return for their labour.

But, again, just as wildlife and habitat have to be managed, so does access. Every year, there are tragedies, often caused by a lack of awareness of well-meaning walkers. Cows are mostly placid animals, except when they perceive a threat to a calf – which can often be someone approaching to have a look at the cute new-born. We are surrounded by sheep farmers and lambing begins any time now. Each year, someone has a problem with loose dogs or open gates.

There is one other significant worry. The amount of regulation and standards expected in farming have grown hugely. Our most recent farm assurance list was dated 25 December and concerns our imminent inspection. It has a list of requirements as long as the cow’s tail. Many of these regulations are here to stay, in or out of the EU.

And when trade negotiations may include importation of cheap food – and Britain loves cheap food – we are perhaps right to be worried.