Memorandum submitted by John Turner (RAS
03)
THE FUTURE OF THE CAP
INTRODUCTION
1. Thank you for offering the opportunity
for farmers to share their perspectives on CAP reform as part
of the EFRA committee review.
2. My name is John Turner and together with
my brother and parents, run a 100ha family farm close to Stamford
in Lincolnshire. The farm was converted to organic production
in 1999, which enabled us (for a short time at least) to produce
for a differentiated market that recognized the value of a mixed
farm founded on traditional husbandry practice. An oversupply
in the organic milk market in 2002-03 coupled by increasing influence
of the supermarkets' buying strategy meant that the three-year
contract guaranteeing our milk price became worthless. The resulting
losses meant that in the autumn of 2004, we had to disperse the
herd that we had spent 40 years establishing, making our herdsman
redundant in the process.
3. We continue as a mixed farm, with beef,
sheep and cereals combined with some niche markets such as the
cultivation of herbs for medicinal use. We also process and retail
some of our meat directly through a box scheme to the local villages.
However, despite taking advantage of these and other market opportunities,
maintaining our farm business as a farm rather than a subsidised
hobby is proving to be increasingly difficult. We find that our
business planning is now based on a survival strategy for one
or two years rather than the sort of long-term investments that
should be underpinning the farm.
4. The future of farming is becoming polarised
towards two very distinct models:
5. The continued expansion of agri-business,
which is increasingly tied to the agricultural supply industries
and to centralised distribution and processing as part of a global
trade in food. Whilst the economies of scale encourage continued
growth of this model, the impact and costs are often borne by
farmers, the environment and the public.
6. The alternative is one of farm businesses
that are built on a foundation of good animal and crop husbandry
principles that place the environment and social issues as integral
parts of food production rather than "bolt-on" extras.
Economists and other analysts often overlook much of the value
in this form of agriculture within the relatively narrow definition
of "efficiency" that is often used.
7. I still believe that it is this second
model that should provide the backbone of Sustainable Farming
within England and that there exists considerable potential beyond
the relatively small market opportunities that are currently available
to niche, organic or "hobby" farmers.
8. I am disappointed to see that the list
of farming organisations being asked to present evidence to the
Committee (the NFU, TFA and CLA) all tend to represent a similar
view in farming, which predominantly reflects the "agribusiness"
model referred to above. There appears less opportunity for those
representing the alternative model, such as the Small Farms Association,
FARM or the Smallholders Association to have their views presented.
9. I was involved in the formation of the
farming organization "FARM" in 2002 and remain closely
involved with their work. I also work in conjunction with the
Food Ethics Council as part of a wider effort to close some of
the gaps in communication between those involved in policy work
and those in farming.
ISSUES I WOULD
LIKE TO
SEE ADDRESSED
IN THE
FUTURE OF
THE CAP
10. Firstly, the current support structure
for payments where farmers have to do little or nothing to receive
their Single Farm Payment is something that can only be justified
as a brief transitional step towards a more efficient and productive
use of public money. Subsidies have been, and continue to be a
major factor in the move away from good rotational farming practice.
Their continued existence perpetuates the problem of farmers and
their staff working at, or below a subsistence income.
11. It is quite possible to envisage from
the list of challenges placed before us as farmers, that the efforts
to reduce the environmental impact within the English region will
command such a high prominence, that production will be displaced
to other countries. This does not in itself reduce the impact
of farming and food production, it merely displaces it to those
areas where production continues and in doing so exacerbates the
increasing problems caused by international transport systems
and starves local economies of much-needed sources of income.
12. The current trend in land use reflects
a worrying trend that appears to reflect government thinking that
all environmental targets can be easily met by merely ceasing
production. This "solution" however can no longer be
described as farming, it is countryside stewardship and it will
not feed, cloth or heat a single human being.
13. A recognition of the value of farmers
as primary producers as well as custodians of the land they farm
would at least be a start to addressing the widespread feeling
amongst farmers that their efforts are undervalued and that their
skills as food producers are no longer required. I would therefore
like to see a better balance that reflects an integration of production
with "the environment" rather than production displaced
by "the environment".
14. Possible areas where support could be
justified for farming:
15. Support for some of the logistics needed
to maintain good farming practice that currently present a disproportionate
burden of small and medium-sized farms: These could include:
— Soil testing and analysis (which
would have the added advantage of providing a national information
resource to monitor changes in agricultural practice).
— Demonstration farms that integrate
farming, science, research and emerging technologies and provide
a working test bed for new innovation.
— Targeted support to address barriers
in processing, distribution, marketing and legislation that are
blocking important marketing opportunities for smaller-scale farming.
— Fostering better cooperation between
farmers.
— Working IT systems that simplify
record keeping and provide the necessary reports to underpin farm
assurance schemes.
— Support for a "fair trade"
system of supply contracts that enable farmers to plan their cropping
and animal production with confidence.
The list is by no means exhaustive.
June 2006
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