Arrogance of groups who believe they know better

It's probably three years since I had a 'disagreement' with the WI about the Mega Farms Resolution at their AGM, and they did a massive spread in their national magazine on 'all you need to know about mega farms', and proceeded to weigh the arguments against them.

I asked them to remove the resolution so we could have a fair debate later, but they went ahead with it at the AGM, and it was voted off the agenda as an 'unsound resolution'. Excellent! But it hasn't been raised again.

Mega farms are not uncommon in the UK, but it's those with other issues that hit the headlines. Like the Lincolnshire and Welshpool ones. But always when they have opposition, lots of other organisations join in to help, usually with their own agendas.

PETA, WSPA and the RSPCA do have some sound campaigns, but they lose credibility when they beat the 'animals can choose what's best for them' drum. The Soil Association recently debated the arguments against intensive farming. They said if we only paid farmers more, there would be no need for intensification. Clearly that's not going to happen, and of course, there was no word of comparable food production, to feed the world. They continually cite how natural it is for cows to graze, pigs to root and hens to scratch. Cows choose to browse, i.e. leaves, hedges and rough grass, not just the lush, rapidly fermenting grass in fields. And if you want to anthropomorphise them, how would you like to be driven out into the cold and wet without a coat or boots, or into the hot sun with no shade? Cows would mostly choose to be inside with food and water 'on tap' and somewhere dry to lie.

Pigs will root in anything, not just mud, certainly not hock-deep in frozen mud in the winter, nor should they suffer heat-stroke in summer. And hens will scratch anywhere and flap their wings (how many hens have you seen actually flying?), except maybe to attempt to escape from foxes. All distortions of the truth to win their case.

The SA suggested that the only argument for intensive farming was the potential saving on labour costs. I seem to remember farmers, including ourselves, heaving a sigh of relief at spring turnout when we didn't have to feed and bed everything twice a day.

The animal welfare groups suggest that they work with farmers to improve their animals' lots. In other words farmers are inherently uncaring and need their expertise to get it right. How arrogant. And their final defence is, we should use the common sense of the public. Sorry I don't have much confidence in some of the public, especially if you watch the television and see the cruelty that goes on in so-called animal lovers' homes.

I'm generalising now – but don't we all?