The benefit of having a strong and comprehensive trade policy should fill me with dread as a farmer. Truthfully, the Americans are a useful catalyst to force some long overdue farming reforms in the United Kingdom. The bucolic idea of the small family farms is ridiculous in the 21st century. It was mostly ridiculous in the 20th too. The united Kingdom has created (with Europe) a policy to support the smaller farms as a superior good, against the overwhelming benefit of concentrating on the modern industrial farm.
There are even Youtube videos of morons cutting hay as in the 15th century, by hand...really. A good portion of farming in Britain is back breaking low paying jobs. 20 years ago, an American company invented a machine to pick strawberries. I saw their latest model, it is 10x better than hand picking, more gentle and only picks ripe fruits. One of thousands of examples. Robots to muck stalls or even feed the animal. entirely automated milking process, that reduces some stress on the heard.
British farms need to consolidate. The European union stopped that natural trend in favour of perpetuating poverty. Yes farmers are conservative, and will often continue to chase a dream long after they should have given up. The death of the European subsidy is the best thing that ever happened to the farming community. Marginal players are being consolidated. the death of the sub 100 acres farm should be welcomed. It will make food production more cost effective, and be a better allocation of our limited farming resources. Also lets not forget that labor shortage is a real thing.
Note: I know I sound callous about all these tiny farms, but Europe has ossified the natural trend to mechanize farming. 40 years of misguided farming policy is being reversed quickly, and very painfully for some participants. One good trend is that land prices have been rising, it will make the pain of exiting the business a little easier to swallow (I get the heartache of losing a multigenerational farm...)
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