Drought causing desperation on farms
I was listening to “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele today travelling on a train in a persistent downpour from Newark to London. It seemed strangely ironic in the way it mixes a metaphor about rain and droughts and to uniquey sum up the difficulty facing many drenched but still parched farmers.
This article draws attention to the plight of particularly small farmers without the critical mass to set up their own drought amelioration arrangements. It features an East Anglian Famer and his views of the situation. It tells us:
“Farmers are facing financial ruin because of the lack of water, with many forced to change their planned crops for others that require less water. [He tells us] “People are having to stop growing crops that use a lot of water, like potatoes or salad crops. If farmers are in contracts and can’t supply the produce they can be hit with financial penalties and there are farmers facing that throughout the country.”
This is serious stuff. Too few people in Local Government understand or have any real connection with farmers. I fear there will be limited intelligence at the local level enabling those involved with local economic development to engage with and support those worst affected.