Council Farms

The economics of farming are something we only see “through a glass, darkly” unless we work in the sector.  This article tells us:

 “Dairy farmers are furious about cuts of up to 2p a litre in the amount they receive from major milk processors and many fear the shortfall will force them out of business. The action is the latest in a series of protests by farmers who are angry that they are to be paid less for their milk than it costs to produce it.”

In the “punch and judy” world of the media supermarkets are greedy and venal, farmers unrealistic and living off EU subsidies, cows black and white…. But at the core of this story is something which is important from the perspective of local authorities.

Many local authorities own and rent out farms, all local authorities have roles and responsibilities in terms of landscape management, a number find themselves as accountable bodies for funds such as the Rural Development Programme for England. In my experience next to no-one in the authorities themselves has an understanding of the economics which underpin the world in which they exercise such functions.

It stands to reason that a sizeable unitary or county council with a budget of over £1 billion can have a major beneficial impact as a consumer and policy organisation on its farming economy. Few if any make any attempt to think through or exercise such an influence.  If you would like to get a sense of the positive actions of one which does have a look at the work of the Leicestershire Rural Partnership.