Concerns regarding the escalation of world food commodity prices and worries about anticipated food shortages appear to be exercising the minds of an increasing number of world leaders. Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos the importance of both food production and security were very much on the agenda alongside finance and bankers bonuses.
However, I wonder if those leaders, bankers, industrialists and financiers are ready to acknowledge that it is farmers who provide the food which will feed the world community and not governments, economists and certainly not environmentalists.
Food and water are the two essential elements which every community requires. It does not matter how much money, gold or guns governments, dictators or despots have in their armament; unless they can feed their people, army or community they are relatively powerless, certainly in the long term.
There has been too much water in some countries such as Pakistan and Australia and in others too little. These floods and droughts have occurred throughout history; there always have been and will continue to be periods of excess as well as times of famine due to natural causes and disasters.
The result of floods or draught is devastating to local communities and puts a huge strain upon national and local resources. As the world population increases and the power of the masses and the influence of those suffering food shortages and escalating food costs is recognised, the concern of world leaders is very real and must be a priority.
It is interesting to note that President Sarkosy has made the controlling of agricultural commodity markets the main priority of his term as chairman of the G20 group of nations. EU leaders should pay avid attention to the CAP reforms currently being considered. These reforms are in danger of being high jacked by the environmentalists who still consider that the importance of the flora and fauna and aesthetics of the countryside takes precedence over food production and security.
It is reported that EU agricultural ministers last week agreed that the CAP must encourage farming to become increasingly greener to guarantee sustainable food supplies and ensure natural resources are properly managed. They keep banging on about ‘safe and healthy food supplies’. Who I wonder is suggesting that farmers have ever wanted to produce unsafe and unhealthy food supplies or destroy the environment we all depend upon?
There is a genuine danger of escalating food riots and global instability, more common sense needs to be introduced into the increasingly serious matter of European and World food production. There is surely a case for best practise, rational thinking, trusting the farming community to embrace new technology and importantly in this matter of food production, leave politics and green political correctness out of the equation.
*Talking about political correctness I think we should all be concerned by the ever increasing acres of newsprint dedicated to the cause of feminism, hurt feelings and political correctness which clearly is exercising the minds of editors of the national press since the turn of the year.
Since when has the importance of a few thinned skinned individuals been considered more important than the disastrous state of the economy, poor standards within the NHS, escalating fuel prices effecting rural businesses and dwellers, as well as freight and haulier companies? Or the impact of years of high immigration, rising unemployment, the inability of our judges to hand out sentences to fit the crime, and the disastrous effect upon huge numbers of skilled labourers resulting from the decline in residential and commercial building projects which have ground to a halt, just to mention a few national problems.
Added to all this is the effect that the current exorbitant personal and business taxes are having upon innovation, inspiration and investment. Boris Johnson was right when he appealed to the Chancellor George Osbourne to stop worrying about what Vince Cable wants, and turn his attention to fanning a positive economic breeze upon the dying embers of the economy and give some indication as to when this conservative government plans to lower taxes and promote growth as repeatedly promised while in opposition.
The public sector is in chaos and will take time to repair after years of mismanagement. It is now down to the private sector to create vital jobs for the increasing number of unemployed and bring purpose to their lives.
The statistics showing the number of young people, many with university degrees that are without jobs, is truly shocking. Sadly large numbers of these young people, despite having spent three years or more being ‘educated’ at university, have no real qualifications to make them employable. Their time would have been better spent learning a trade either as apprentices in the work place or at a technical college, instead of believing countless government ministers who have been pushing everyone to aspire to be ‘white collar workers’. How cruel was that?
We all need to develop thicker skins and stop being distracted by fluffy political correct inept causes. Look around and realise how fortunate we are to live in this still great country. Now is the time to tighten our belts, knuckle down and demonstrate the true British Bull Dog spirit which is surely still there buried deep within our genes.
Carola Godman Law
However, I wonder if those leaders, bankers, industrialists and financiers are ready to acknowledge that it is farmers who provide the food which will feed the world community and not governments, economists and certainly not environmentalists.
Food and water are the two essential elements which every community requires. It does not matter how much money, gold or guns governments, dictators or despots have in their armament; unless they can feed their people, army or community they are relatively powerless, certainly in the long term.
There has been too much water in some countries such as Pakistan and Australia and in others too little. These floods and droughts have occurred throughout history; there always have been and will continue to be periods of excess as well as times of famine due to natural causes and disasters.
The result of floods or draught is devastating to local communities and puts a huge strain upon national and local resources. As the world population increases and the power of the masses and the influence of those suffering food shortages and escalating food costs is recognised, the concern of world leaders is very real and must be a priority.
It is interesting to note that President Sarkosy has made the controlling of agricultural commodity markets the main priority of his term as chairman of the G20 group of nations. EU leaders should pay avid attention to the CAP reforms currently being considered. These reforms are in danger of being high jacked by the environmentalists who still consider that the importance of the flora and fauna and aesthetics of the countryside takes precedence over food production and security.
It is reported that EU agricultural ministers last week agreed that the CAP must encourage farming to become increasingly greener to guarantee sustainable food supplies and ensure natural resources are properly managed. They keep banging on about ‘safe and healthy food supplies’. Who I wonder is suggesting that farmers have ever wanted to produce unsafe and unhealthy food supplies or destroy the environment we all depend upon?
There is a genuine danger of escalating food riots and global instability, more common sense needs to be introduced into the increasingly serious matter of European and World food production. There is surely a case for best practise, rational thinking, trusting the farming community to embrace new technology and importantly in this matter of food production, leave politics and green political correctness out of the equation.
*Talking about political correctness I think we should all be concerned by the ever increasing acres of newsprint dedicated to the cause of feminism, hurt feelings and political correctness which clearly is exercising the minds of editors of the national press since the turn of the year.
Since when has the importance of a few thinned skinned individuals been considered more important than the disastrous state of the economy, poor standards within the NHS, escalating fuel prices effecting rural businesses and dwellers, as well as freight and haulier companies? Or the impact of years of high immigration, rising unemployment, the inability of our judges to hand out sentences to fit the crime, and the disastrous effect upon huge numbers of skilled labourers resulting from the decline in residential and commercial building projects which have ground to a halt, just to mention a few national problems.
Added to all this is the effect that the current exorbitant personal and business taxes are having upon innovation, inspiration and investment. Boris Johnson was right when he appealed to the Chancellor George Osbourne to stop worrying about what Vince Cable wants, and turn his attention to fanning a positive economic breeze upon the dying embers of the economy and give some indication as to when this conservative government plans to lower taxes and promote growth as repeatedly promised while in opposition.
The public sector is in chaos and will take time to repair after years of mismanagement. It is now down to the private sector to create vital jobs for the increasing number of unemployed and bring purpose to their lives.
The statistics showing the number of young people, many with university degrees that are without jobs, is truly shocking. Sadly large numbers of these young people, despite having spent three years or more being ‘educated’ at university, have no real qualifications to make them employable. Their time would have been better spent learning a trade either as apprentices in the work place or at a technical college, instead of believing countless government ministers who have been pushing everyone to aspire to be ‘white collar workers’. How cruel was that?
We all need to develop thicker skins and stop being distracted by fluffy political correct inept causes. Look around and realise how fortunate we are to live in this still great country. Now is the time to tighten our belts, knuckle down and demonstrate the true British Bull Dog spirit which is surely still there buried deep within our genes.
Carola Godman Law
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