Farming cycle continues despite crisis
We are all railing against the current lockdown, but for farmers, like other essential workers, the circle of life goes on.
And for farmers, it doesn’t matter what the weather brings, they cannot put off doing the jobs that are required.
So while we cosy up on the sofa with a box-set on the TV, they are out there, checking on crops, dealing with day-to-day duties, preparing for the next season, and – with livestock – the daily checking and feeding, handling and managing which make British farmers the best in the world.
There is much concern about what the end of the transition period will bring. While all industries need to know what regulations will change and what new regulations and tariffs will be brought in, for farming – as with many other businesses which involve longer-term planning – these changes cannot be implemented immediately.
Crops are in the ground for next harvest, seeds and fertilisers have been ordered, and matings have been made, so that the British public can enjoy the best of British produce, and the horticultural industry is in the same position.
Ancillary businesses are also affected by the changes, and the countryside will change in the next few years.
Sarah Norton is a retired rural dweller living near Shrewsbury
