First, my apologies for absence. What with two days of vermin control this week together with two days in Brussels catching up on the CAP Health Check and other issues (of which more in FW next week) there hasn't been much time to blog.
I went to Brussels with a small party organised by Peter Fane of Eurinco, the EU agricultural consultancy. The group I travelled with went by Eurostar from St Pancras station (what an impressive building) to Brussels Midi. The journey took one hour and fifty minutes and was very smooth and comfortable. We had breakfast on the train (which was not the highlight of the trip) and arrived fresh and ready to tackle the CAP.
The return trip was just as swift and I doubt if any of those I travelled with will ever consider flying to Brussels again. There are, of course in these troubled times, security checks before boarding the train. But they are reasonable and quick and there is none of the time consuming waiting around that there is at airports. There's a chance to see the farming beside the line (even if it is going past the window at 150mph or whatever) and you are delivered straight to the centre of town. Its taken too long to get it going but now it is, I for one am a fan.