On 01/02/2010 17:43, tom wrote:
Eion MacDonald wrote:
tom wrote:
I mismanage a smallholding and have just
had some stuff through from
Defra re the 2010 Agricultural Census. This is meant to be a full
census
of farming in the UK for the EU and will presumably go towards policy
and grants etc.
They are planning NOT to ask farms below a certain size for
information!!!!
I cant think of a better way of skewing the information in favour of
agri-business and away from higher productivity small units.
Tom having a major fume!
An economic study in 1980s, ( and the economist was my boss man) the
study found that 'productivity' was inversely proportional to 'apparent
site size' except in monoculture systems, these could not be indexed
properly as damage long term was catastrophic (dust bowls etc)outside
50
year records as repeat events.
A real damnation of 'collective farm system' in soviet side and was
used
to show allotments or family vegetable gardens (UK style when family
managed) had high productivity! However productivity of allotments in
1980s was below that in 1940s but with more varied crops.
What really got me about it is if the threshold is ( say) 50 acres then
france would have 10 farms.
The EU will use the information when setting grant levels and the UK
will get practically nothing.
The excuse they gave was so as not to encumber the smaller farmer. More
like can find anyone to write a really simple online database that one
could spend 2 minutes inputting the data.
Tom te tom te tom
Tom,
Surely this is a case for Anthony Gibson of the NFU and your local MP
to get their teeth into.. Claim discrimination on a large scale
methinks.
John W
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