We have been filming on-farm for a TV production. I feel it’s so important to educate the public, but what makes the cut may be watered down.

It amazes me how ignorant people are about farming. I was told to talk “less farmer” and “more plain, simple, basic language” because the viewers won’t understand me!

About the author

Richard Orr

Richard Orr farms cereals and potatoes in a reduced cultivation system in County Down, Northern Ireland, with his wife and two children. He is a cereals and oilseeds sector council member and focuses on soil and plant health. He also keeps a small number of cattle, pigs and sheep.

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At the end, one of the girls asked me: “How do you see the future of farming and what lies ahead for your next generation?”  

See also: Farmer Focus: The only constant in agriculture is volatility

My immediate response was: “It’s out of our hands. Our government believes we are no longer important or required. There’s nothing that would currently want me to encourage my kids into the industry. It might as well be a modern form of slavery.”

It’s a crazy thought, but when I left school in 2004 the government constantly said farming was a vital industry as the population rises and food demand outstrips supply. 

Now it’s 2021, and it’s hard not to get frustrated and angry as a farmer listening to the reporting of COP26.

All the lies and corruption that governments bring – backed by the media reporting the inaccuracies – are brainwashing the public into thinking farmers are the problem.

I believe carbon neutral, net zero and so on could be the biggest scam in our generation.

Yes, carbon reduction is very important and we need to do our bit, but businesses buying carbon credits to advertise themselves as net zero is total rubbish.

It’s tricking the public into thinking they are somehow an environmentally friendly company.  

The only way you should be able to officially declare a reduced- or zero-carbon footprint is by altering how your functioning business runs, not buying a rainforest and declaring that you’re carbon neutral. Nothing has changed for the better.

If you’re a tenant farmer you’ll struggle to get land if landlords get big money to leave it in grass or trees and collect carbon credits. 

The biggest laugh is that they bandy about all these carbon figures, yet I can’t get anyone to accurately measure my carbon footprint.

If the measurements aren’t accurate, how can they be used as a reflection on any industry?