Comments on: Tenant farmer tells it like it is http://capreform.eu/tenant-farmer-tells-it-like-it-is/ Europe's common agricultural policy is broken - let's fix it! Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:33:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Greg Bliss, TFA National Chairman http://capreform.eu/tenant-farmer-tells-it-like-it-is/comment-page-1/#comment-34838 Greg Bliss, TFA National Chairman Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:53:05 +0000 http://capreform.eu/?p=606#comment-34838 Jack, what good old days? Food has never been so cheap, and people live to a ripe old age and are generally healthier; they may eat too much though! There is no support to grow crops anymore, its all environment. All land receives a payment for environmental goods delivered, wildlife, clean water, access to the countryside etc. We have to deliver, and we can loose this, it is called cross compliance, we get inspected. (Having delivered it for free for decades) We completely understand supply and demand, that does not mean we like the volatility that goes with it and are looking to iron this out so we can afford to pay our rent every year not one in three. In comparison to the amount of money that is being shoveled down the black hole that is the banks, the amount that comes into agriculture for whatever reason pales into insignificance. We do lobby to make sure tenants are not disadvantaged just because they are tenants and don’t own their land, and because we have a rent to pay, we need to be sharper than the norm so we are all for free trade and competition. We certainly do give a damn about habitat; we did actually create most of what you see in the countryside today (not the mountains but we did build the walls). If we don’t deliver the likes of the RSPB and Natural England, who have the ear of government, will certainly make sure we are legislated to deliver, and we believe a willing participant is better than a pressed one. More wild life is killed on the road and by predators than by agricultural operations. Your final comment I accept as we cannot and do not want to produce what we can presently only import. We should grow what our country is suited to and use its resources to feed a world population that will be half as big again by 2050. People will not worry about mangoes and luxuries if the staples are scarce and expensive. Thank you for your interest, it is pleasing people take the time to look at what we are doing and trying to achieve. Greg Bliss Jack, what good old days? Food has never been so cheap, and people live to a ripe old age and are generally healthier; they may eat too much though! There is no support to grow crops anymore, its all environment. All land receives a payment for environmental goods delivered, wildlife, clean water, access to the countryside etc. We have to deliver, and we can loose this, it is called cross compliance, we get inspected. (Having delivered it for free for decades)

We completely understand supply and demand, that does not mean we like the volatility that goes with it and are looking to iron this out so we can afford to pay our rent every year not one in three. In comparison to the amount of money that is being shoveled down the black hole that is the banks, the amount that comes into agriculture for whatever reason pales into insignificance.

We do lobby to make sure tenants are not disadvantaged just because they are tenants and don’t own their land, and because we have a rent to pay, we need to be sharper than the norm so we are all for free trade and competition.

We certainly do give a damn about habitat; we did actually create most of what you see in the countryside today (not the mountains but we did build the walls). If we don’t deliver the likes of the RSPB and Natural England, who have the ear of government, will certainly make sure we are legislated to deliver, and we believe a willing participant is better than a pressed one. More wild life is killed on the road and by predators than by agricultural operations.

Your final comment I accept as we cannot and do not want to produce what we can presently only import. We should grow what our country is suited to and use its resources to feed a world population that will be half as big again by 2050. People will not worry about mangoes and luxuries if the staples are scarce and expensive.

Thank you for your interest, it is pleasing people take the time to look at what we are doing and trying to achieve.

Greg Bliss

]]>