Sir
A Stephen Carr article (‘Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth’, South East Farmer, November 1) profoundly depressed me, and not for the first time.
I remember many years ago reading what may have been his first article on farming policy which went along the lines of, “why is the NFU telling us to improve our marketing when we’ve got intervention?”
Since then his consistent theme has been: never mind anything else, so long as taxpayers send me a brown envelope. I can think of nothing more damaging to the image of the industry.
Stephen Carr is right that Commissioner Ciolos has proposed a budget freeze and has framed his proposal to be as populist as he can as a tactic to hang on to his budget. However, it is not Ciolos but Ministers of Finance and Heads of Government who will ultimately make that decision. Given that, far from garnering popular support, the initial reaction of the Agriculture Ministers, the European Parliament, European farm organisations, environmental bodies and commentators (apart from Stephen Carr) has been universally hostile, it does not bode well for the success of that tactic.
Although my first reaction was depression, I can comfort myself with the reflection that in all the many meetings the NFU has organised, the unanimous reaction of farmers has not been “we’ll do anything to hold on to the money” but “these conditions will take my business in entirely the wrong direction”.
Martin Haworth
NFU director of policy
Agriculture House
Stoneleigh Park
Warwickshire
CV8 2TZ
02476 858 686
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