James Rebanks on the future of farming - BBC Newsnight

[@CCRmusicfan]

James Rebanks .You have renewed my faith in humanity. Respect. Stick to your guns. No don't sign with America. I beg you

[@benc640]

Half way through English pastoral. Brilliant book.

[@CCRmusicfan]

Not all farmers want to live by Ullswater I hope. I believe you are absolutely right about what they have done to our soils over the years.

[@Camdem101]

This warms my heart

[@sandramullins9578]

I completely agree with James. We all need to look at our way of life, is it really better for the earth?

[@jewell92]

I fear that the US may hurt their own farmers. Corporate farms not as much.

[@Marcus-ym1oj]

James. absolutely love you're views and suggestions on nature. BANG ON

[@hernanrubindearmas5640]

I wish AN ENGLISH PASTORA be an omen.. A destiny. My love, my gratitude.

[@Marcus-ym1oj]

​@@hernanrubindearmas5640👍

[@rawheadrex8487]

To all farmers who voted for Brexit - ENJOY!

[@I-am-not-a-number]

We don't want more townies in the countryside complaining about the smells and the sound of shotguns.

[@bmphillips15]

That told us nothing apart from he’s written a book. How is farming going to change ? Without subsidies

[@abigael5991]

woww awesome, Feel I wanna go there 😍😍👍👍

[@sheepdogman1]

Honesty in abundance. I am looking for a decent herdi tup this year. I had racy ghyll gulliver a few years ago so will contact you when i am down from Shetland buying.

[@piggyman1585]

Good.man

[@basics1979]

Guys a legend !

[@Geezerelli]

Chicken Licken said; The sky is falling 😂

[@finnersmcspeed5646]

Nice man

[@richardcope8102]

If we open up our Domestic market to full International competition then our farmers may have little option from profitability and survival chances but to go up-market. Many leading and trend-setting farmers have already embraced that future. This is one of the potential consequences of brexit. Adapt or perish. I realise though that getting the full UK credentials - accreditation and certification - can take years to achieve so farmers showing awareness of trends and foresight will deservedly come out of the upcoming struggle with flying colours. The other route, embraced by many farmers is on-site property development, using valuable planning gains, and wider farming and non-farming business development e.g. Glamping, partly migrating away from traditional 100% pure farming model.

[@westwyc]

Unfortunately there is only so much demand for these, if a large majority of farmers did this then the price would drop as would there limited profit margins (farming is not a high profit industry). Also most of the UK market can't and won't buy very expensive farm products unless we as a nation embrace eating a lot less meat and only buy once or twice a week. This also means that we'll need less farms as demand has dropped. Also remember that if you think exporting is the way to go then that will unfortunately mean major concessions as part of a trade deal. An example is if we did a deal with China they might ask in return for no tarrifs on beef, no tarrifs on steel products or free migration of their citizens. People are going to have to wake up to the fact that as a nation we're going to have to embrace some very tough choices in trade deals, some industries will be lost and I believe that farming in the way that we know it will be one of them. I see us having small farmers like this guy and the hyper industrial US style farms.

[@richardcope8102]

@@westwyc We won't see your final suggestion in my opinion. I don't see UK realistically competing at the lower end with USA wide open spaces super industrialised farms/agri-biz. I would however totally sign up to the rest of your comnents. Farming and Fishery and UK Biz are going to have to face up to our new post EU membership reality and there will be winners and losers going forward

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

They need give up some of the edges of fields, back to wildlife. The Moorlands, need a wild forest reform not commercial pine. Some people come to country thinking it’s lovely, but it’s no better than a desert.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

Jerry O Sullivan just take a look at any of the northern national parks, Northumberland national park it’s mainly commercial forest. That’s not wildlife.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

Jerry O Sullivan as a farmer, can I ask, as our farming culture is similar. Would you say that the edges of fields should have a wild gap, say a yard or three. And this gap would solely be dedicated to native trees, bushes, flowers you name it. To give wildlife a place of refuge and habitat increase. And if all farmers did this, that we wouldn’t be seeing the decline in wildlife that we are currently seeing. Would you agree or what alternatives do you think would be better ??

[@paulwhite4804]

The majority of farmers are in schemes where we're doing just that

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

Dalai Farmer this is good to hear, but I’m not seeing it on the ground. So either many farmers lying, or not doing it properly.

[@paulwhite4804]

@Jerry O Sullivan yes I am

[@patwarburtonr7488]

I thought the pandemic would wake people up but most are still sleeping. They don’t realise that Christ second coming is almost here. Get right with our Lord and ask for His forgiveness today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed!

[@eggymixes]

I don’t think I learned anything from that other than a) the countryside has changed over time and b) this guy has written a book and fears a US trade deal. Woo.

[@jonathanbarnsley2953]

He fears a US trade deal because US food & animal welfare standards are lower than ours, meaning he'll be undercut and sustainable farming like this will be put out of business, ultimately diminishing biodiversity in the UK.

[@Camdem101]

I don't think you understand how important of a deal that is

[@eggymixes]

Yes I know, I don’t need explaining the potential impact of a US trade deal. That’s my point - none of this was particularly insightful about the future of farming, more the views of just a guy.

[@Camdem101]

@@eggymixes ye I guess still interesting and a unique perspective

[@berberdodo]

I'm sure bill gates will fix everything!

[@xrmoff]

future HAS to be entirely vegan / plant-based

[@biocapsule7311]

There is also cultured meat.

[@buzjimbo2128]

What a load of tosh. Who do you have to sleep with at the BBC to get your book plugged?

[@jh5401]

this 'tosh' is actually really common in Aotearoa

[@matthewsmith2787]

Go veggie and vegan, leave the poor animals alone

[@ellenhair]

At no point does James Rebanks refer to the farming subsidies that have enabled him and others to preserve his ‘ unique ‘ way of life and the history ( and entitlement) which goes with it. This has been continued post Brexit - farmers being complicit in this process. ‘ Big😅 Ag’ and the food industry has a lot to answer for. Rebanks touches on this - but not in depth. The NFU remains a powerful union with a lot of lobbying power.