By Arnold Pennant
It is welcome to report a bit of good news for a change. All the regulations regarding foot and mouth disease have gone thankfully. There are two immediate lessons which should be learned from the most recent outbreaks. The first is that the foot and mouth virus should not be tampered with by scientific boffins and the second is that if bureaucrats which to impose restrictions on other peoples’ businesses that they should be prepared to pay compensation if they get things wrong.
The countryside is very picturesque at present with all the beautiful colours of autumn now being seen at their best. Perhaps they are more noticeable this year as many of the field hedges have now been neatly trimmed. For most of the summer this year driving has been like travelling around in the “bocage”, because of all the uncut hedges. Would it not be a better idea to let farmers manage their hedges as they think fit rather than being governed by some interfering bureaucrat?
Just as foot and mouth recedes, blue tooth raises its head but fortunately not in Wales. My main thoughts go out to all their livestock farmers who have had their lives blighted by regulations. Now that it is all over the Government would only consider compensation on the basis of keeping any opposition at bay whilst they had their eyes set on an election victory.
Now that there is no election any interest in compensating farmers for their problems and financial losses seem to have waned as well. Fortunately I was able to bypass most of the hassle this time as I had drastically reduced the number of sheep which I have, and I was also able to go away for part of the time.
But I had suffered during the last big outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001. Though the disease may not have hit this area on that occasion, the movement restrictions certainly did and you wondered how to go on making payments out from the business at a time when there was no income.
Perhaps some farmers adopt a more optimistic attitude to the future of farming in this country, or perhaps it is just because I am getting old, but I realised that the 2001 FMD was going to end my farming career as I could no longer spend my time running to the bank manager pleading for more funds.
Retirement did not come dramatically, but I wonder just how many more farmers there are out there who have just about had enough during the two outbreaks this summer. It was particularly unfortunate that the second outbreak all but destroyed the sheep marketing season in September this year. Many will persevere with some opportunistic accounting from their bank manager, but it will be just that bit more difficult for any rural business who depends on farmers as their customers.
