@bbcnickrobinson 30% U.K. lowland grass farms are unprofitable and only viable because of subsidies. (Probably better this year). Many U.K. farms are completely unviable for a range of reasons. Even under ideal conditions the U.K. cannot sustain itself with food.
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No other industry could rely on such government support so why should farming. There is no strategic imperative for such huge support not since the world wars. Things have changed and so must U.K. agriculture. Sentiment should not form part of political or economic reality.

May 21, 2021 · 5:00 PM UTC

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The world has changed and is changing faster every day. Farming and farmers are a little slow to grasp change. They are controlled by huge emotional ties to the land and their farms but they do need to change and it will inevitably hurt some.