09/07/16

Saturday, I'm not at work and the children are at home with partners, we have a house full.  The working week has contained some frustrations, which I'm not going to mention here.  I am gradually settling to the idea that the UK will be leaving the EU, I'm still not happy and believe we are the victims of a political con.  I have met several farmers who voted to leave, I have never seen people who have just committed financial suicide to be so innocently happy about it. They don't seem to realise that they have been hiding behind the protection of the French farmers for forty years and have been sheltered from the vindictive hatred of our UK politicians.  If I'm right the dung will hit the fan big style in three to four years so they had best prepare now otherwise they won't be in business.  I suspect that what's about to happen will only be the acceleration of a process that has been creeping along since the last war.  Big farms will get bigger and middle size farms will disappear.  Small farms will probably survive, by small I mean any farm of two hundred and fifty acres or less.  Unless they are very specialist farms of this size can be managed on a part time basis with the help of contractors the farmer and his wife can find paid work off the farm.  But I may be wrong it wouldn't be the first time.  See you Monday, perhaps.