David Richardson
HAVE YOU read Hans Christian Andersen”s fairy tales? If so you will remember the one about the emperor”s new clothes. If not, it goes like this.
There was once an emperor who always wanted the finest and most fashionable clothes. One day a couple of con men arrived at his palace declaring that they could make the finest cloth imaginable – although it was invisible to people who were stupid. The emperor inspected the “invisible” cloth and, not wanting to be thought stupid, said it was the best he had ever seen and commissioned the con men to make him a suit from the invisible cloth.
When the “suit” was finished a ceremony was arranged for it to be fitted and, not wanting to appear stupid, the courtiers all admired the invisible suit. The emperor was so impressed by their reaction that he decided to walk the streets wearing his invisible suit to show it off to his people.
The people, who had also been told the story of the suit being invisible to stupid people, clapped and cheered as the emporer paraded up and down. Except one boy in the crowd who had not heard the story. As the emperor walked past, he asked: “Why is the emperor naked?” The people quickly realised the boy was right. But the emperor, not wanting to admit he had been fooled, walked on with even greater haughtiness with his self-important courtiers behind him.
Why am I telling fairy stories? The fact is that when I hear the great and the good of British agriculture extolling the prospects for a prosperous industry now we have a reformed CAP; declaiming the potential for greater production efficiencies, promulgating the benefits of reconnecting with consumers and promoting the opportunities for providing competitively priced products for the market and not for the subsidy, I feel like that boy in the crowd.
I think to myself – is it me that”s imagining things, or is it those who continue to tell us the future is so bright? It is, of course, fashionable to be positive. And negativity is also associated with advancing age (from which I suffer) according to some young FW correspondents whose enthusiasm I would not wish to dampen. May I point out, however, that while a few individuals may be able to exploit whatever rural assets they have available and make good returns from exotic crops and cash in on niche products or specialist supermarket contracts, commodity agriculture still accounts for what most farmers are able to do. And whichever way I look at it, I see threats.
That is not to say it will be impossible to make a good living from farming. There are examples in every region of individuals and groups who have managed to build thriving businesses despite the problems that have beaten many others. I would suggest, however, that such people are relatively exceptional, have special production or marketing skills, or have farms in favourable positions beside lots of houses whose residents are willing to spend money on the food or the service they provide.
I would further suggest that many such success stories rely more on the farm buildings and a few acres around them than they do on the broad acres of arable crops or grass further afield. Again, there are exceptions to that theory. But my main point is that while there might be a good living for some from activities associated with farming that does not apply to the industry as a whole.
Moreover, DEFRA”s own Fresh Start booklet intended as an inspiration to persuade more young people to come into the industry, addresses its target audience rather hesitantly by saying: “If you see a future for yourself working full-time within the industry…” It goes on to urge aspirants to take business advice so as to understand the implications of decoupling and then suggests diversifying or taking other employment, presumably to help make ends meet.
Can you imagine any other industry selling itself in this half-hearted, but sadly realistic, way? But still the great and good predict a prosperous future. Are they like the emperor”s courtiers – simply saying it because they don”t want to offend the emperor (DEFRA) who has been cheated by con men?
Have some come round to believing there”s a decent future for only a select few? Do we need a few more little boys to point out the lack of substance in current policies?