The beef issue of the moment is the French beef trade war and the good publicity it has generated for us. It has cheered me up no end after 3 ½ years of problems with BSE in our beef. We have suspected for a long time that the French beef, and that of other countries, is not reared to our high standards. It is frustrating that despite the fact that the French have been engaged in illegal feed processing practices for the past ten years, our Government have chosen not to ban French beef. It is very encouraging that at last the national media and the public are backing British farming and boycotting French produce. Hopefully this will lead to an increase in the farm gate prices because without an increase soon, as I said last month, many of us will be forced out of business.
I was disappointed that nobody from Agenda 21 has answered the question that I asked in August, as to how the Hall extension, excellent though it is, will help to regenerate the local economy. I notice that this statement was also made in the Bradworthy Fair programme. I am only a simple farmer, so I was hoping that somebody who is better educated than what I am would be able to tell me.
At home we have had quite a good Autumn so far. We have been able to do some reseeding, and get all the slurry out. We still have the cows out in the daytime, although by the time you read this they will probably be in.