AN INSIGHT INTO WHY FARMING AND LAND USE HAS CHANGED IN CLOPHILL – Kate Knox
Farming has changed considerably over the years, not only in Clophill Parish but also in the whole of Britain.
After coming out of the Second World War the government wanted to keep the population happy to retain votes. One way to hopefully achieve this was to get farmers to produce cheap food; there was particular focus on potatoes, bread and beer.
In the 1960’s and 70’s subsidies were paid out on fertilizer, lime and the growing of grain. This produced a large growth in cereals and market gardening.
The Common Market was set up in 1973 to act as a trading partnership between France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Holland. This allowed more variety of food to be imported; again the idea was to keep the people happy. Unfortunately there was a flip side to it and with cheap imports being introduced the price British producers were lessoned.
In connection with the Common Market, prior to 1984, intervention prices from Europe were introduced. A guaranteed price was made available for certain products even if the market price was low. Due to the security of receiving payments farmers were pushed into producing more cereals, sugar and dairy produce, such as cheese. Europe stored these products and sold them cheaply to third world countries, a bargaining tool for possible deals to be made with those countries in the future. There was a huge shift in the farming industry.
Market gardening took a large dip. With no price guarantee on the crops produced, growers moved towards cereals, a crop needing less input and labour. In conjunction with this shift, the manufacturing industry was in full swing and a lot of farm labourers saw better prospects in jobs available in areas like Luton and Bedford.
Supermarkets were also on the rise. These outfits wanted large suppliers, not lots of small producers. Lincolnshire provided the quantity of goods with their large expanses of land and abundance of labour available. Market gardening in Bedfordshire dwindled further.
The grain and butter mountains were here in 1984/5. The authorities had run out of space to store all the grain produced through the price intervention scheme. Farmers were then given a security NOT to produce crops, as the government had not balanced the amount produced with the amount needed. This was when “set aside” was born.
Presently we now have a large grain deficit and this is due to a number of factors. These factors are not only influenced by Britain but worldwide. First the failure to balance what grain is needed with what is produced; a foresight the government fails to have when introducing various schemes. We have had an average harvest this year unlike Australia who has faced drought conditions therefore producing very little. The USA who is large exporters of grain are focusing more and more on “bio fuels” and using a bigger proportion of their produce on this project. Middle Asia is also demanding more grain. Their diet has been slowly changing, incorporating more meat, which to produce requires more grain in the form of animal feed. All these factors have pushed the grain price back up to a more realistic amount, which is on a par with what the producers received in the 1970’s. This will have a knock on effect on food prices, something that you may have already heard about on the news. Farming nowadays is shaped very differently compared to fifty years ago, it is governed by worldwide pressure, environmental issues and political interference.
I have enjoyed the countryside in our area over the years. To keep it we have to have caretakers to look after it in the shape of farmers and producers. To keep the British countryside we have to buy British produce, support local people and think twice when buying cheaper inferior imports.
I hope this has given you a little insight into why the land in Clophill Parish has changed. I have enjoyed learning more about the history of farming and it has been a great pleasure talking to various characters in the village and hearing of their experiences.
I would like to thank Derrick Keens, Jack Herbert, Stan Woodward and Nick and Diccon Burman for their time and passing on their knowledge.
