Gove should spare a thought for farmers

SIR – Michael Gove’s plan to replace EU farming subsidies with payments to improve public access to farmland (report, January 4) will go down well with the urban voter. However, I hope the public and Mr Gove, while enjoying one of their 30-odd days of paid leave in this new country playground, will spare a thought for the farmers delivering it.

There is a good chance these farmers will be on modest family farms. They and their families, if they counted every hour they worked for the profit produced, are unlikely to be on the minimum wage. Often they will not be able to retire, as they can afford scant pension provision. Holidays, if they are not too busy, amount to a few hours in the local supermarket.

Christmas Day probably involves an early rise to get all the livestock fed and comfortable, so that the farmer can get indoors in time for carving the turkey. After lunch, while the in-laws doze off their excesses, they will need to slip out to see the animals are settled for the night.

After Christmas the farmer may look forward to a cold snap when, beyond tending the animals and thawing out frozen water troughs, there will be a few hours available for filling in all the forms required to claim Mr Gove’s handout.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs seems to have no brief for – or staff who understand – farming to feed the nation. The Government should bring back a ministry of agriculture, farming and food so that farmers are guaranteed a fair price for producing food.

The environment would be better managed, and the civil servants would have a better understanding of balancing environmental issues and food production. Robert Filmer

Rochester, Kent