Wet, Wet, Wet

I visited Henry Rowntree on his farm near Gisburn today to do an interview - I have a piece to write for Lancashire Life on his Aberdeen Angus herd and his environmental work. The most sobering point we discussed was the effect of all this year's rain - he thinks it will be the worst since 1912 as regards rainfall. The marginal land where only grass is an option for farmers becoming less viable in such a climate, silage impossible to make when this wet, cows full with the water of what they chew rather than the good bits, tractors struggling to cope with conditions, and the need for grain on many farms to supplement animal diets - reducing in his view the quality of the meat.

We can be happy that improved earnings in the poorer countries mean improved diets, but competition gets stronger for the same food, extreme weather causes reduced yields, and the population rises inexorably. We need marginal land to remain productive in this country for food security, and for the look of our countryside.