Over the past few seasons, threats to our flock from the Continent have been bluetongue and Schmallenberg. It’s likely in the future, we will have some control over both. But, the latest visitor, ash dieback, is in another league.

We have heard about the devastating effect it had in Denmark; ash is the third most common broad-leaf species in the UK. At the onset of Dutch elm disease there were about 20m elm trees in the UK, while today there are about 80m ash trees.

Most of the farmland I have taken on over the past 30 years hasn’t had any hedge or tree planting for at least 100 years. Age, Dutch elm disease, the storm of October 1987 and several years of drought had taken a toll. So eight years ago we started out on a major regeneration project, which has involved planting 25ha of new woodlands in 12 blocks around the farms then improving some 24ha of existing woodlands by selective felling and clearing followed by replanting.

Ash has featured prominently in our schemes as it thrives on our thin alkaline chalk soil. So it is with great trepidation I wait to see what effect ash dieback will have. I was hoping the woodland projects would be bit of a legacy, but I could be starting again.

A journey to the West last week was a quite sobering experience. I saw acres of unharvested potatoes, undrilled stubbles and where cereals have been drilled, a lot of waterlogging and slug damage. Perhaps growers in the East should undertake a similar journey before crying into their pints.

First-generation farmer Robert Law farms 1,500ha on the Herts/Cambs/Essex borders growing cereals, sugar beet, forage rape and turnips for seed. The farms are in a number of environment schemes and carry a flock of 2,500 ewes. He also manages 500ha of Nottinghamshire sand land.

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