Farmers Moaning Again

[Roger Smelly]

Well on the way home tonight i heard some local farmer on the radio going on about Blue Tonque and how global warming is causing it due to food coming in from all over the world thus heating up the climate.

 

What makes me laugh is cattle emit more harmful gases that the humble car so surely this is pot, kettle, black ?

 

I personally think the Manx farmer is on a good thing here, the UK farmer only gets 25p a gallon for milk what they getting here ?

[grant]

How very contentious, can't be any farmers on here tonight. I think you'll have a few replies tomorrow.

[Amadeus]

The Manx farmer might be in for not such a good thing soon, namely the loss of the red meat derogation.

[Tempus Fugit]

with all sorts of import restrictions you may be glad there are still some manx farmers when you find the supermarket shelves empty of imports

[grant]

I'm very pleased we have manx farmers, their produce tastes as least twice as good as supermarket crap.

[Gladys]

Farming practices here are one of the contributors to the wonderful environment that we still enjoy. In the UK all you see is acre after acre of yellow rape-planted fields; very rare to see animals in the field. If you value the countryside we have, you have to value the farming industry.

 

I don't think we are being ripped off on local produce when you take the whole equation; food is farmed traditionally, not by intensive, and so less costly, methods. Not only does this improve the taste, but it preserves the countryside. I can see Manx farming taking a real hit when the red meat derogation is lost. We may gain from cheaper meat in the shops (possibly, but not certainly), but almost certainly the cost will be the loss of quality and freshness, and, very likely, a change to the landscape. The ramifications are immense and it is now for those in positions of influence to find a way through this. We should now, if it is not too late, declare ourselves to be an organic, carbon neutral producer/consumer and will only accept produce that is organically produced and does not involve a carbon footprint above X, X being that produced from shipping meat from the midpoint between here and Heysham to here. Now, the EU cannot complain about that surely?

[Albert Tatlock]

Farming practices here are one of the contributors to the wonderful environment that we still enjoy. In the UK all you see is acre after acre of yellow rape-planted fields; very rare to see animals in the field. If you value the countryside we have, you have to value the farming industry.

 

I don't think we are being ripped off on local produce when you take the whole equation; food is farmed traditionally, not by intensive, and so less costly, methods. Not only does this improve the taste, but it preserves the countryside. I can see Manx farming taking a real hit when the red meat derogation is lost. We may gain from cheaper meat in the shops (possibly, but not certainly), but almost certainly the cost will be the loss of quality and freshness, and, very likely, a change to the landscape. The ramifications are immense and it is now for those in positions of influence to find a way through this. We should now, if it is not too late, declare ourselves to be an organic, carbon neutral producer/consumer and will only accept produce that is organically produced and does not involve a carbon footprint above X, X being that produced from shipping meat from the midpoint between here and Heysham to here. Now, the EU cannot complain about that surely?

Well said. Plus if we don't support them farmers will be forced to sell land - which will end up being built on.

[Roger Smelly]

The farmers here spray the same stuff on your veg as they do in the uk lol do you really think its all organic ?

 

If any of you took time to see what the farmers do you will understand it aint as much as they say.

 

I know of one dairy farmer who seems to only work when he has to milk his cow's the rest of the time he just jolly's about doing contract work for other farmers.

 

I think farming should be like every other business if it don't pay then do something else.

 

All the local farmers do is get payed to keep the fields full of green grass.

 

Why don't they grow crops instead of grass ?

[Tempus Fugit]

I have family living in the lakes national park and it's just sheep on the hills and they love to come 'home' to see the patchwork of different coloured fields with all the different crops being grown, which they rarely see around where they live, it's been 'sterilised' with just grass, grass and more grass.

[TomTucker]

I think farming should be like every other business if it don't pay then do something else.

 

and what are we all going to eat then, turkey twizzlers ?

 

i would rather have manx meat, eggs, cheese and bread any day. its painful watching some of the ppl in tesco filling their trolleys with frozen shite and tesco value bread, buy proper ingredients learn to cook and enjoy lifes 2nd best pleasure (eating), followed by some beer (3rd best thing)

[Grianane]

Fresh local produce is indeed the best, we just pay too much for it.

 

The Farmers markets, great though they are, are the Farming communities attack on Tesco & Shoprite - they are trying to break the farmers reliance on these retailers for produce sales which is laudable. The worry is however that the farmers are charging out produce on the market at retail prices. Ok the shelf price of stuff is high, but Shoprite etc have to buy it in, staff it, transport it, provide the store etc, the farmers market carries no overhead for the farmer and there's no "middle man" - the profit margin there must be a lot higher than they would normally get, so how come the price they charge isn't closer to the alleged low price they get from the supermarkets for what is effectively the same produce.

 

I don't expect to pay nothing but do feel a bit ripped of paying supermarket prices for the same gear at the farmers market.

 

On the subject one of the stalls who use to trade at the old Ramsey Market in Market Square used to get his veg delivered by Robinsons.

 

The loss of the derigation will hurt, so could a review of farming support, but what with all the Mercs and Discoveries parked round our farms you wonder whether the present systems need to be looked at a bit closer. We have a fairly good income but there's no way I could afford to drive round in the sort of vehicles some of our "poor" farmers can afford.

[spermann]

I believe the costs of buying local meat is increased largely due to the operating costs of the abbatoir. Perhaps a stratigic review of the running of this facility should be looked at, on the basis of eliminating duplication and waste to improve efficiency and thus lowering operating costs. It is a good facility, built to provide quality meat, however the local consumer is led towards off island produce simply because the price dictates.

 

I think that most people would buy Manx if it was a similar price. Another example of this is milk, you can buy organic milk imported from the UK in both the Co-Op and Shoprite for less than the cost of IOM creameries non organic milk. In the customers eyes they are getting more (i.e. an organic product) for less (the overall cost). Little does the cutomer know that the cows are probably stood next to some motorway or nucular power station for most of their lives, but who cares, the producted is still marketed as organic so the Manx farmers are fighting a lost cause.

 

I will continoue to pay the extra and buy Manx, but it does hurt....

[thebees]

we just pay too much for it.

 

So says you, do you have to get up at stupid o'clock to feed the herd? Do you have to employ sheppards from New Zealand to help at lambing season? Do you know anything about farming? Stupid loose comments like this make others 'think' that they are paying too much for food, the same people who will happily pay £100 for a frock that was made in China for 20p...go figure. Peoples ideas about the cost of things is way out of perspective imo.

[Tugger]

If I was doing a miserable job that I couldn't make money from without government handouts, I'd change my job. I'd have to, and so would almost anyone else.

[Lonan3]

If I was doing a miserable job that I couldn't make money from without government handouts, I'd change my job. I'd have to, and so would almost anyone else.

Like civil servants, you mean?