Post-Brexit food and rural affairs policy: a farmer's view.
| Author | Bramley, Richard |
| Position | FOOD AND FARMING |
My name is Richard Bramley and I am 53. I'm the third generation to farm at Manor Farm in the village of Kelfield, to the south of York. My grandfather first rented the farm in a derelict state in 1935, and in 1958 he bought it outright when the estate it was part of was dissolved.
It's fertile land, good for most crops. The farm grows potatoes, sugar beet, wheat for bread, barley for beer and whisky (both winter and spring sown), oats for porridge and cereal bars, beans and peas - the frozen sort.
The farm is around 230 hectares, or 570 acres if you prefer. My son, Liam, has spent a couple of years working with me as my father has stepped back from the farm. He's interested, but noticeably reticent about the prospects of being the fourth generation. He sees the ups and the downs, but mainly sees just how hard I need to work and how attached my life is to this glorious segment of Yorkshire soil. It gets under the skin, it becomes part of you, almost like an external organ governing how you live and breathe. This is both immensely rewarding and totally absorbing; it makes living a life outside of agriculture a challenge.
To help quantify the farm's production I've included a list below. Tonnes and hectares don't always mean much to those outside of farming, so this year (all being well) the farm should produce the raw materials for:
* 750,000 loaves of bread
* 6 million pints of beer
* 100,000 kilo bags of porridge oats
* 60,000 kilograms of beans for human consumption
* 40,000 half-kilo bags of frozen peas
* 450,000 bags of Silver Spoon sugar
* 18 million bags of crisps
* Valuable co-products for animal feed
* Calories to support over 12,000 people per annum
* Over [pounds sterling]25 million-worth sold at retail
I say 'should' because the weather can still get in the way. Last January it did exactly that, when a third of the farm flooded and some of the wheat was killed. I've resown it, but the yields will be less, so the figure above for bread loaves will probably be about 100,000 loaves fewer. That's climate change in action.
Flooding is becoming more frequent, as are extremes of dry weather. But are these extremes anymore? It's a real problem, and my problem is everyone's problem: these symptoms of climate change are something we will all need to address.
Another thing to note that goes beyond that list is just what the farm achieves for the environment: it not only produces a decent amount of food and provides economic value, but manages biodiversity, the landscape and an entire ecosystem. This is something I am immensely proud of.
Research and monitoring have demonstrated the farm's positive impact on biodiversity over the last twenty years. Bird surveys show a marked increase in activity and number of species. These 'indicator species' point to an overall improvement in the environmental health of the farm.
Soil health...
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