Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Despondent about what is happening on our farms
Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian LiddellGrainger tells Defra Secretary Steve Barclay it would be unwise to ignore the growing wave of protest in the farming community.
DEAR Steve Since the term ‘gypsy’ is now considered offensive and non-PC I suppose I had better say that I make no apology for delivering the Government earlier this week a warning from a member of the travelling community.
To the effect that feelings are starting to boil up within the farming industry which is why we are seeing unprecedented protests with the threat of more to follow.
I have been asked what intelligence I have suggesting that we are on the brink of a rural uprising, to which my response is that I have my ear to the ground, I can read the runes as well as anyone and I am distinctly despondent about what I am hearing and seeing.
Which is that the farming community feels that it is becoming impossible to go about its daily business and still have a few bob to put in the bank at the end of the month.
Let’s look at it: we are reducing the old single farm payment which made for so many farms the difference between black and red ink being used for the end-of year accounts.
We are taking more land out of production for the benefit of wildlife and to plant more trees for carbon offsetting – nothing more, in my view, than a licence for industrial polluters to carry on polluting.
We are placing huge environmental restrictions and costs on livestock farmers while importing from all parts of the globe cheap meat produced to inferior health, welfare and environmental criteria. And we are failing hugely in our commitment to deliver universal superfast broadband, the arrival of which would hugely benefit farmers and other rural businesses.
No wonder the Kent and Welsh farmers have taken to blocking traffic to express their anger and frustration at what’s going on. I dare say they have, equally, observed and been inspired by what is happening across Europe and particularly – since it’s only 22 miles away from the Kent shore – France where large sections of the motorway and trunk road network were blockaded in wellorganised protests a couple of weeks back.
The result of that was the French government running up the white flag and promising a 150 million euro aid package to ease hardship.
Though I also noted this week that the farming union federation the FNSEA is threatening to call its members out again for a rematch if the promised mazuma doesn’t materialise pdq.
But then the French farming sector is a powerful political lobby. When they hear of the FNSEA getting uppity French agriculture ministers immediately reach for the Imodium.
The difference here is that we don’t have a discrete agriculture ministry to complain to and instead of an FNSEA equivalent we have the supine and spineless NFU. And even if it did, in the most remotely conceivable circumstances, decide it was time to get off the fence and get tough with the Government its declaration would be greeted by hoots of derision from all sides.
The last time it staged anything like a public demonstration was at a Labour conference in Bournemouth when poor old Ben Gill was forced to lead a protest march with the air of a man with a metaphorical pitchfork at his back.
Still, I expect all will be sweetness, light and self-congratulations at the annual conference.
Yours ever
Ian