DEFRA estimates that the UK Government spent £2.457 billion on agricultural support (of which £220million was on agri-environment schemes) in 2001. By contrast, it is estimated that the council grass-cutting bill for urban UK exceeds £1 billion. (ref: C.Baines(1995) “Urban Areas” in “Managing Habitats for Conservation”, Eds Sutherland, W.J. & Hill, D.A., Cambridge University Press). Farmland (in its widest sense) covers about 76% of the UK land surface (18,549,000 hectares). So on this basis the amount spent on agricultural support would work out at £132 per hectare (£52.80/acre). Even if all the remaining land was urban grass (which would mean Britain had no buildings, roads or water) and it was all covered by Council grass-cutting contracts, then the cost for grass-cutting would be £178/hectare. Puts the cost of agricultural support into context, doesn’t it?

Robert, Fantastic point. Get a letter drawn up and send it to president blair and ben gill and the conservatives etc etc. Lets get this up and running cause as we all know subsidies are doomed for. Robert

I would have to agree with robert here - what a good topic, if all the figures are correct then take it further. Try the media and make a point. Try oliver wolstan - he's perhaps the one to make this point public. I think his web site is www.thriplow-farms.co.uk or something similar. His e mail address should be on there. Lee

Lee, i think Oliver Walston is actually against subsidies judging by his antics on TV waving his £ 180,000 IACS cheque in front of the media a few years ago.His recent TV programmes also favoured subsidy for the hill farms only not the likes of you and me.Obviously its a lot easier for him to be cool about it, owning an inherited 2000 acre Cambridgeshire prairie as he does.However i think the sensible newspapers could perhaps put it into context.