The Future Of Farming

[fartypants]

Farmers should not be paid public funds for farming, they are businesses not charities.

 

Paying public funds for looking after the countryside that farmers have wrecked is plainly stupid, its danegelt at best.

 

Please can someone explain why i must pay so many times for a manx lamb chop, seriously they are not that good.

 

 

 

We live in a market economy, if you cannot compete you fail, as in tourism as in fishing etc.

 

We dont have so much money in the public purse to keep paying farmers for losing money.

 

You're absolutely right. So tell me, if every farmer on this Island sold up to Dan, and every piece of land was now some ones private garden or some large estate, what would you rely on if for some strange reason the boats didn’t sail for a few days? That never happens now does it? It's a cruel truth, we work for a living, me as well, for a wage, and if the/our business fails, tough. The farmers however are safe in the knowledge that come what may they have the gov/taxpayer to keep them going. Thank god for that.

[gazza]

christ if u were all in charge u prob be all dead from stravation,

 

the reason theres subs, is so ppl like you, can affored to eat, u like to eat dont you,

but its ok we just import it you say,

well brains of isle of man what happins when theres a world food shortage then, what do you do,!!!!

 

and the way u lot are talking you think we were paid millions, if only,

 

NZ is a whole diffrent situation, just because one place has done it, ppl just think well thay can do it, why cant everyone

 

who pays the subs who sets the subs who wants the subs, the goverment, not the farmers the goverment,

 

what other buissness do u know that is not allowed to set its own fair price for its product,

while the input cost of farming has doubled in just over a year, the price there paid has gone down, work that one out,

 

i tell you why, because if you had to pay the real true cost of food, u would complain and cry that u cant afford to eat,

farmers dont set the price of food the goverment and supermarkets do,

 

start to look at the whole picture and not just the one part of it and u might just start to see what subs are about

[Snaipyr]

christ if u were all in charge u prob be all dead from stravation,

 

the reason theres subs, is so ppl like you, can affored to eat, u like to eat dont you,

but its ok we just import it you say,

well brains of isle of man what happins when theres a world food shortage then, what do you do,!!!!

 

and the way u lot are talking you think we were paid millions, if only,

 

NZ is a whole diffrent situation, just because one place has done it, ppl just think well thay can do it, why cant everyone

 

who pays the subs who sets the subs who wants the subs, the goverment, not the farmers the goverment,

 

what other buissness do u know that is not allowed to set its own fair price for its product,

while the input cost of farming has doubled in just over a year, the price there paid has gone down, work that one out,

 

i tell you why, because if you had to pay the real true cost of food, u would complain and cry that u cant afford to eat,

farmers dont set the price of food the goverment and supermarkets do,

 

start to look at the whole picture and not just the one part of it and u might just start to see what subs are about

[Shit3hawk]

Don't get me wrong I can see the reasons for the subs but feel farmers should work for it and not just expect handouts,

[triskelion]

Don't get me wrong I can see the reasons for the subs but feel farmers should work for it and not just expect handouts,

Wtf? Most farmers work 13 hour days as standard, often longer during the late summer period. Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

[Chinahand]

Triskelion how would you define the "fair price for agricultural produce"?

 

As you know at the moment it isn't a market - the government intervenes stopping prices being too low raising farmers incomes and increasing the price of food.

 

Do you really think the government is the right arbitor of what a fair price is - how should they do it?

[triskelion]

Triskelion how would you define the "fair price for agricultural produce"?

 

As you know at the moment it isn't a market - the government intervenes stopping prices being too low raising farmers incomes and increasing the price of food.

 

Do you really think the government is the right arbitor of what a fair price is - how should they do it?

Sorry, by a fair price I meant one that accurately reflects the costs of production, rather than one determined by overly-powerful buyers or the Government. In retrospect, 'fair' was a poor choice of adjective.

 

I was under the impression that only milk is sold at a minimum price on the Island? Either way, the alternative to Government-determined pricing would be the creamery setting the price, as I believe all dairy farmers are members, and I think that would probably violate competition law (surely it would constitute a cartel?).

 

Anyway, your post has been quite stimulating. One thought in particular was that a minimum price on basic commodities might in fact save consumers money in the longer term. The basis for this is that such goods are often used elsewhere as a loss-leader, to drive sales of other goods on which the mark-up is (obviously) higher.

[gazza]

Triskelion how would you define the "fair price for agricultural produce"?

 

As you know at the moment it isn't a market - the government intervenes stopping prices being too low raising farmers incomes and increasing the price of food.

 

Do you really think the government is the right arbitor of what a fair price is - how should they do it?

 

the fair price of food should be the cost plus about 10-30% profit on it, sounds fair to me

 

well if the goverment is increasing the price of food, where the hell u buying yours from, its cheaper now than its ever been, please explain

[Tugger]

Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

 

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to the generous idiocy of the European Union, we can get extremely cheap food AND not give farmers any handouts. That is a genuine option. Our politicians never give it a moment's thought.

[gazza]

Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

 

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to the generous idiocy of the European Union, we can get extremely cheap food AND not give farmers any handouts. That is a genuine option. Our politicians never give it a moment's thought.

 

 

well its a genuine option if u dont want any farmers in the EU, which will push the price of food up, in the long run,

you really dont understand food production and the way the world works do you

 

i forgot food comes from supermarkets thay make it by magic, it just appers in the store, its all ways there so why worry,

[mollag]

If there was a genuine diversity in farm produce on the island and if they could get near to making us self sufficiant then maybe there is a case for subsidy.

Truth is being self sufficient in milk and lamb just dont anywhere near cut it. Farmers farm what raises the biggest subsidies not what the island needs

 

Sadly the people of Liverpool get the best deal, knockdown manx lamb at the manx peoples expense [export subsidies]

 

R A , cheers manxies, any chance of some cheap cheese? no problem!

[Tugger]

Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

 

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to the generous idiocy of the European Union, we can get extremely cheap food AND not give farmers any handouts. That is a genuine option. Our politicians never give it a moment's thought.

 

 

well its a genuine option if u dont want any farmers in the EU, which will push the price of food up, in the long run,

you really dont understand food production and the way the world works do you

 

i forgot food comes from supermarkets thay make it by magic, it just appers in the store, its all ways there so why worry,

 

There'll always be farmers in the EU - the EU taxpayers will continue to be bled for precisely that purpose - and so there'll always be cheap food. It's the point of subsidising businesses that will never, ever be able to stand on their own two feet that I don't understand.

[gazza]

Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

 

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to the generous idiocy of the European Union, we can get extremely cheap food AND not give farmers any handouts. That is a genuine option. Our politicians never give it a moment's thought.

 

 

well its a genuine option if u dont want any farmers in the EU, which will push the price of food up, in the long run,

you really dont understand food production and the way the world works do you

 

i forgot food comes from supermarkets thay make it by magic, it just appers in the store, its all ways there so why worry,

 

There'll always be farmers in the EU - the EU taxpayers will continue to be bled for precisely that purpose - and so there'll always be cheap food. It's the point of subsidising businesses that will never, ever be able to stand on their own two feet that I don't understand.

 

to be fair 90% of farmers in the uk prob coulden stand on there own 2 feet with out the subs,

what would u do, let them all go

[fergie]

No, it is nothing like 'farmers getting paid for not farming.'

 

Subsidies are moving away from a production basis, a strategy that is far from unique to the Island. The idea is to try and move towards a more sustainable agricultural structure, one that is somewhat more self-sustaining than the current one.

I can't see what is sustainable about farmers making losses if the try to farm without the subsidies. Farmers would prefer to be without subsidies but to move towards life without them will take very many years as consumer will need to gradually adjust to large price increases that will be required to replace the subsidies. Some countries removed the subsidies three or four years ago and their farmers are still making losses if the produce so maybe the idea is not a good one.

[Tugger]

Its a case of either or, really: Either people should pay a fair price for agricultural produce, or farmers should expect handouts.

 

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to the generous idiocy of the European Union, we can get extremely cheap food AND not give farmers any handouts. That is a genuine option. Our politicians never give it a moment's thought.

 

 

well its a genuine option if u dont want any farmers in the EU, which will push the price of food up, in the long run,

you really dont understand food production and the way the world works do you

 

i forgot food comes from supermarkets thay make it by magic, it just appers in the store, its all ways there so why worry,

 

There'll always be farmers in the EU - the EU taxpayers will continue to be bled for precisely that purpose - and so there'll always be cheap food. It's the point of subsidising businesses that will never, ever be able to stand on their own two feet that I don't understand.

 

to be fair 90% of farmers in the uk prob coulden stand on there own 2 feet with out the subs,

what would u do, let them all go

 

The UK taxpayer pays for them. Not my problem