Here’s hoping everyone enjoyed a very merry Christmas and is looking forward to a happy and healthy new year – and that this fiasco of a government will see a little bit of sense with regards to farming in 2025.
Despondent, disheartened, in low spirits, are all words that I would use to describe the mood in farming today. The rallies that have been taking place in London and around the country are all signs that the farming community is pulling together but we ALL need to pull together.
Voters seem to be abandoning Labour in droves since the general election. That’s certainly true of the owners of small and medium-sized businesses after the budget threatened business viability and the future of rural economies.
Despite all the petitioning, the Government has refused to back down on the ‘tractor tax’, arguing that the majority of farms will be unaffected. They have severely underestimated the number of farms, farmers and private business (in any field) that will be affected. I believe it may take a miracle to force the Government to change its plans as I am sure it is all part of the Government’s bigger plan with a major investment company to force the sale of farmland, but we all need to write to our MPs to voice our opinion.
The recent events surrounding 30 trial farms using the Bovaer® feed additive in dairy cows’ feed seems to have sparked a huge debate. Misinformation and false claims have been circulating on social media and appear to have been gaining momentum.
Some of this has been fuelled by small companies and businesses distancing themselves from the perception that this is unsafe in an attempt to protect their own business, with no consideration for farming as a whole or, indeed, potentially their own farming neighbours.
Bovaer is not a new or untested feed additive; on the contrary it is already on the market and has been used in more than 200,000 cows in more than 25 markets. It has been approved for use in more than 68 countries.
This approval is based on scientific studies, with evidence that feeding with Bovaer does not harm animals or negatively impact their health, productivity or the quality/quantity of their milk.
Bovaer is specifically designed to break down in the cow’s digestive system and decomposes into naturally occurring compounds that are already present in the gut. One major company has been targeted by the misinformation that has been surrounding Bovaer, but perhaps if we looked closer to home it would appear farmers are also involved by hyping the spread of misinformation to enable their own products to rise to the top of the market.
Farmers have been posting videos on social media of people discarding Arla products without seemingly making the connection that this will potentially impact their dairy farming neighbour. How would a sheep/beef farmer react if a dairy farmer was advocating a boycott of British lamb/beef? Unity or fragmentation? You decide…
Fortunately for us Monty has returned from his work in Scotland on a large Holstein herd in time for the festive season. He would appear to have worked hard, learnt lots and have some rather ambitious ideas for the future. We will certainly be glad to have him home, but I know a small person who has been desperate for him to return.
While having some down time he took part in a charity tractor run that raised vast amounts of money and involved more than 400 tractors one Saturday evening. The streets were lined with many pro-farming members of the general public, all supporting British farming.
The farm seems to be functioning as per normal. Christmas Day is the same as any other, according to the animals; the only difference was the presents we exchanged. Father Christmas obviously thought we had all been good in 2024!
A birthday for Zara on Boxing Day and a new baby due in May. At least I will be a granny before I am 50. Oh, and a trip to the panto!
Until next time stay safe.
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