We have completed the harvest in record time, two weeks ahead of schedule with a fair crop of decent quality grain in the store. Had it rained in June the yield would have been better, but as they say, ‘farmers are never happy’!
The ground is like concrete, so stubble cultivations are on hold until we get some much-needed rain. The cattle are looking in vain for lush grass as they graze the parched fields.
Looking on the bright side, families on their summer holidays will be enjoying the certainty of long sunny days. Who would want to travel abroad facing the stress, and uncertainty of cancelled flights, overcrowded airports, and lost baggage when the alternative is to explore our beautiful British countryside and coastline?
I hope farmers and landowners will focus on traditional farming as they work out their cropping plan for the autumn and next year’s harvest. It is truly worrying to see thousands of acres of fertile land being taken out of food production at a time when it is essential we increase self-sufficiency.
‘Corporate giants’ are out bidding local and first-time farmers with inflated prices, in their effort to off-set carbon emissions, by planting millions of trees on land which has been farmed for centuries, now sacrificing this valuable food producing land by planting unproductive trees which will not off-set carbon emissions for decades.
Companies such as Heathrow Airport, Marks and Spencer, TSB, the Church of England, and even the Labour Party are investing in land to appear virtuous. In most cases a hollow gesture which will reduce our ability to produce food, resulting in increasing imports from countries which are not equal to our standards in animal husbandry and use chemicals on crops banned in the UK. Valuable carbon collecting rain forests continue to be felled, and scarce water resources used to irrigate arid land. How environmentally friendly is that?
The whole business of companies trading carbon credits needs urgent investigation. Why should M & S or any other company receive grants for planting trees? Those who farm the land are not given annual grants as we plant crops which take in CO2 with immediate effect, or through our grassland management.
Between tree planting and re-wilding our capacity as a nation to increase food production is being depleted at an alarming rate.
The message had reached Boris by by-passing the NFU leadership. He would have acted appropriately had he not been unceremoniously dumped by his colleagues who had been brainwashed by the left-wing media, Remainers and those after his job, into believing their unfounded allegations.