She writes:
Earlier this month I was privileged to welcome both Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Wales onto my dairy farm near Cardiff. Whilst Alun Cairns has visited before, being my local MP, this was a first time on any farm for Andrea Leadsom in her official capacity.
Mrs Leadsom arrived prepared with wellies and a request to walk around the farm to get the full experience. It was a damp, windy morning and a good walk around our old sheds, some of them dating back to the 1800s, as well as a look at our two year old milking parlour and building, provided the perfect setting for showing how farm life requires a lot of flexibility and making the best use of every asset.
The Defra Secretary of State’s background is in economics so there was a great opportunity to highlight the ongoing volatility in milk prices and the affect it can have on farm investment. My own farm has a cost of production contract with a supermarket which has allowed us to invest in our business and, ultimately, to survive. The minister was extremely interested to hear how being able to invest money into a new milking parlour not only improved our milk output but also the health and well-being of both animals and staff. With the new technology available taking control of many issues that once used to be a challenge has become a lot simpler.
As the tour continued the cows came up trumps by arranging a calving on cue. Both politicians were treated to the happy spectacle of a wobbly legged heifer calf taking its first steps in life. What a great way to illustrate exactly how long term farming is with the heifer destined to enter our herd as a milking cow in two years, followed by at least one year recouping the monies spent on her rearing.
If Article 50 is triggered as planned we shall be long outside the EU before this heifer starts to turn a profit for the farm.
I’m hoping the visit was of value to both Mrs Leadsom and Mr Cairns who would have seen and heard about the complex and professional nature of farming businesses today. We plan years in advance and are heavily reliant on stability of our markets to turn the profit we need to reinvest and thrive. I hope the image of that heifer calf, the next generation of my business, remains strong in the minds of those we look to sort our markets out.