Fool to make enemies of our land custodians

WHETHER it's political naivety or deliberate policy-making, the Labour Government has succeeded, in a few short weeks, in seriously upsetting the men and women who are essential to the future of Great Britain.

- Philip Bowern

Farmers and landowners are key to feeding the nation and, increasingly, providing the land to meet the targets for new homes, renewable energy generation and crucial national infra- structure.

Yet finding a farmer or landowner who has a good word to say about recent policy announcements is like looking for a needle in one of their haystacks. From major issues like inheritance tax reform to more niche concerns like the potential ban on trail hunting and the end of tax relief of double cab pick-up trucks, many rural folk feel persecuted.

The scrapping of the Sustainable Farming Incentive to new entrants, announced without warning last week, has outraged many farmers who were on the cusp of applying for grants. They need the cash to make up the gaping hole formally filled by their Basic Payment Scheme income.

The decision to do away with SFI, without consultation, looks to many like the last straw. As if to rub salt into the wound, Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner told the House of Commons that the end is nigh for all agricultural subsidies. “They're not going to be supported forever by the public purse,” he said of Britain's farmers. “We know that.”