Opinion: Farmers must not be the next endangered species
© AdobeStock/Mark We are at a crossroads in our farming journey. Chris’s family have milked cows on this farm since 1956, but what has been a successful dairy enterprise for so long just doesn’t seem to be working here anymore.
We need to come up with a change of plan, a new way of working, because it’s becoming much more stressful and a lot less enjoyable.
The trouble is, I’m not sure how much is left in the tank for reinvention or rejuvenation. It might just be easier to milk the cows one last time and wave them off down the road.
See also: Opinion – why I’m bucking the trend and expanding my suckler herd
About the author
Seeing the numerous farm dispersal sales advertised in the farming press lately, I know we aren’t on our own.
The daily lurches from euphoria to heartbreak are taking their toll on the mental health of even the toughest farmers, and talking to friends across the country, there isn’t a single one of them who isn’t struggling on some level.
Whether that’s loss of basic payments, increasing regulation, lack of staff, net zero or falling milk prices, everyone is fighting their own never-ending battle and feeling like they are on the losing side.
We’ve been on a long and bumpy road over the past few years.
Brexit, the pandemic, spiralling input costs, and now rising inflation and interest rates have all had – and continue to have – a massive effect on the farming industry and, more importantly, its farmers, farmworkers and their families.
Their resilience has been tested to the limit and many, including us, are questioning the point.
It’s not only global circumstances that are making things more difficult. Our environment is changing and the weather is becoming more unpredictable.
Shortening weather windows and the extremes of rain and drought are making routine fieldwork and silaging more challenging than ever before. It all adds to the burden.
Physical and mental health
Farms needs to be more sustainable, not just in terms of the environment, but also in terms of the people who live and work on them.
If we don’t sustain the physical and mental health of our actual farmers, they will be the next species on the endangered list.
It is vital that farmers feel they are doing a job that is worthwhile and that they are in charge of their own destiny, not just serving as commodities for big business or government to use however they see fit.
During our yearly inspections through Red Tractor and our milk buyer we fill in form after form about every aspect of our operations.
None of those forms asks any questions about us, the farmers, the people without whom the farms would not function.
Why is that? Is that because it could be seen as intrusive? Or that the inspectors aren’t qualified enough to tackle a difficult subject? Or is it because they simply don’t care?
I think it’s the latter. It seems to me that while our products keep arriving in stores, they – like many others – simply ignore one of the biggest problems facing our sector today and leave farming charities such as Rabi and FCN to pick up the pieces.
Every day more farmers will arrive at this crossroads. So let’s hope that while they are choosing which direction to take, they discover they still have some energy and enthusiasm left in the tank.