WE start another new year with more problems for those who try to eke out a living in the countryside.
Never mind global warming and the production of bio-gases into the atmosphere: this country no longer produces half of the food which we consume.
We have heard similar stories before about the steel industry, shutting the coal mines and the demise of the British motor industry. Is the production of food from our farms any different?
Our Prime Minister eagerly boasts about the benefits of globalisation and his enjoyment of long-distance holidays.
But he does not bother to consider that perhaps we should optimise the use of our natural resources in the production of food.
Not only does food produced in this country travel many less food miles, but it is largely traceable to the farm of origin and has the benefit of freshness compared to food produced in foreign lands and has been lugged half way around the world.
It is so easy to blame Tony Blair for everything which is wrong in this country at the present time, but it is not the supermarkets which are the main problem.
They are continually looking to lower prices paid to farmers so that they can gloat over ever larger profits because they are prepared to buy cheap imports of unknown quality.
We all love to hate supermarkets, but I do use them like everybody else because they are convenient and also provide free parking.
Yesterday I visited one rather posh one, and one not so posh, but when I got home all I had bought was large quantities of dog food and one packet of butter for myself.
Supermarkets are here to stay but I question just how much they have benefited the social and environmental sustainability of our beautiful countryside.
