The fortunes of farming during a recession got a decent airing on yesterday's Politics Show, on BBC1 in the South East.
The programme looked at how, historically, farmers tend to do quite well out of a recession, as currency weakens and commodity prices rise.
East Sussex NFU chairman Jeff Truckfield explained how, a year ago, his fat lambs were getting £27 a head. This year the best sorts were getting almost £80 a head, as their export values had climbed.
And farmer Peter Jervis from Pembury in Kent said there was plenty of optimism in farming as people still had to eat.
But BBC presenter Helen Drew said farmers were not "home and dry", as consumers were trading down to cheaper food products. They were also shopping increasingly at discount stores, which put more pressure on the main supermarkets to drop prices to farmers.
And a so-called "farming expert" (not wholly unconnected to this blog!) told the programme that farming was suffering from record debt, while those farmers seeking to diversify were struggling with access to credit, the same as everyone else.
Overall the programme gave the viewing public a fair and balanced perspective on how farming is fairing as the whole economy gets to grips with the recession - and it's not all bad news.
To see the programme in full, visit BBC iPlayer Politics Show South East (view from 33 minutes into the show). Alternatively, watch the FWi video produced last December - and see if you can spot the similarities....
| Tweet |
|
I've been reading your blog for awhile and it never occurred to me to comment. But now I want to drop you a quick 'thank you'- you have always interesting topics, and very solid information. Thanks!