BY PHILIP WALLING What the Lynx UK Trust couldn’t achieve by straightforward means it is now trying to get by lawfare. It is applying for judicial review of Natural England’s refusal to grant any licence, now or in the future, for the release of lynx into the wild in Britain. I’ve written about this organisation and its aims before under the heading ‘This insane move … Continue reading Lynx Fanatics Won’t Take No For An Answer
BY JOHN MUSGRAVE As Advent begins – notionally a fast, but more often a progression of parties and good cheer – spare a thought for meat-dependent merrymakers. We are all under threat from the mean-green vegan party-poopers who want to ban meat-eating altogether. Halal meat is now in the crosshairs as the soya-bean sallies plot further Herodian bedevilment. Any move to ban halal slaughter is … Continue reading Hands off Halal
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN We walk on concrete, but we live on bread. The modern world hums with the illusion of self-sufficiency – our smartphones deliver groceries with a tap, restaurants materialise meals on demand, and supermarkets present endless abundance as if by nature’s own hand. Yet this is a collective delusion. The truth is simpler, starker: every society rests upon the bowed backs of farmers. … Continue reading Why We Should All Respect Farmers
As consumers, we’ve noticed a significant shift in the way you supermarkets (and large retail stores) operate. The rising trend of self-checkouts has become a defining feature of our shopping experience. The intention behind this move is to streamline the process and cut costs, increasing your profits. Well, we’re not happy. During a recent shopping trip, I encountered a scenario that encapsulates the frustration many … Continue reading Dear Supermarkets
BY CHARLIE ABASCAL In the UK’s picturesque countryside, particularly the uplands of Scotland, an escalating crisis looms—one marked by the rise of tick populations. These small, blood-sucking parasites present more than a simple annoyance; they pose a significant threat to wildlife, livestock, and humans. Ticks are notorious carriers of Lyme disease, a growing danger to all who enjoy the great outdoors. Despite the severity of … Continue reading Ticks and Lunatics
BY ROGER WATSON I have just spent one of several weeks this year working in Italy. As with most countries I visit regularly, after initial impressions are over about similarities and differences, once you get to know more people and to know them in depth, you appreciate more of the differences and begin to understand at least part of what makes Italians the way they … Continue reading Have We Lost Our Link to the Land?
BY JIM WEBSTER Apparently it was Machiavelli who said (almost certainly in Italian): “Never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis.” Churchill followed him by saying: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Obviously their wise advice is being followed. So, the government has unveiled a new food strategy ‘and told farmers to produce more fruit and vegetables in the wake of record … Continue reading Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste
BY JIM WEBSTER The whole system of farm payments is up in the air. To be brutally frank, this isn’t surprising. On a general, first world level, governments have blown so much money on the pandemic they are scrabbling behind the sofa for loose change. I would be surprised if, in five years’ time, any country hasn’t cut its agricultural support, or moved the money … Continue reading Spending the Money Thrice
BY JIM WEBSTER It’s a lot of years ago now. My father and I went on this farm walk organised by the Country Landowners Association. In some parts of England and Wales, the CLA seems to have a preponderance of major estates and landowners, and in other parts of England and Wales most of its members are small farmers. I think I was about sixteen … Continue reading Farmers Farm
BY BEN EVERITT Don’t believe the doom-mongers. Our farmers and our environment can thrive after Brexit. Have a beer with a farmer. Like everyone else, farmers have got concerns about a no-deal Brexit. But after a pint or two you’ll learn just how much the EU has screwed agricultural economics. A clean break can’t come soon enough. The system is now so complex that the … Continue reading Fear Not, Farmers
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust You are well and that You and those around You are enjoying the clement weather. As You sit down to Your Sunday lunch, give thanks to the efforts of our farmers, many of whom are feeling the stress across the country. Either worried about the potential loss of subsidies or lonely, such is the work of a … Continue reading A Prayer For Our Farmers
BY CHARLES MACKIE The biggest threats to farming that a no-deal could bring are traditionally quoted as follows: Loss of a tariff-free market. The UK will by default revert to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules until Free Trade agreements are signed. This will require goods to be exported and imported under the Most Favoured Nation rules with a range of tariffs applied to those goods. … Continue reading No Deal Benefits for Farmers
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust You are well and that You and those around You are enjoying the summer. It’s the farmers and the incessant tractoring on our fields I want to focus on today. It’s them who have had to cope with the dry summer and it’s on these unheralded Brits that we depend for our sustenance over the year. … Continue reading A Prayer For Our Farmers
BY ANNA BOWEN Eight and a half years and counting…! Any paperwork is highly likely to be covered in something that looks suspiciously like… actually not “suspiciously like” … it clearly is cow s**t. Getting in the Land Rover for a farm tour will involve sitting on top of a bag of feed, fitting your feet in between a bucket and a broken chainsaw and … Continue reading Things You Know If You Work With Farmers
