BBC: " Family food shop up '£15 a week'"

LillyJ

!!!!!!? wrote: »

They're not quite as hard done by as you might think.

I agree that the supermarkets are shafting them on prices paid for their produce but they enjoy high levels of grants. Yes, foot and mouth hit many hard but they got compensation. Can you say the same for the rural tourist trade in the areas hit?

Moreover, the price of agricultural land has sharply increased in recent times and if you can get planning permission on a patch here or there you can make a whopping profit. Even more so if you build the house yourself.

Now, with food prices taking off they are in a really strong position.

Dairy farmers in particular have it very hard. A farmer I know has had to sell his cows (which didn't sell for much at all) as they were costing him more to keep than he was getting for the milk.
He is a 4th generation dairy farmer and used to make a good wage from this, but now they only survive on the very small farm shop his wife runs from a gypsy caravan on their land. They kept chickens anyway so now sell the eggs, grow asparagus and such like that they sell in the shop. She also bakes lovely cakes and biscuits that they sell.
I am not sure about other farmers but I know that Dairy farmers particularly get paid such a small price for their milk that it almost is'nt worth it.