Country Matters
Got something you'd like to get off your chest? Here's where you can have Your Say on Rural Life and Farming.
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Simply email us or fill in this pop-up form.
Claire from Haverfordwest asks:
"When will we learn that farming is a fact of life? We prefer to invest time and money in training lorry drivers to transport food from thousands of miles away than support and sustain a healthy agricultural industry. We take no notice of the skills we are loosing and the day is not far off when we are incapable of growing anything ourselves, and then we will truly have to pay the price of ignoring the importance of agriculture."
Linda from Louisiana USA sends us her thoughts after reading Kyra's diary:
"I know nothing about South Wales, but Kyra's descriptions of her farm are very familiar to my farm upbringing in Louisiana. Needing a workout was never a problem, nor was the boredom, or planning for the day. As a child, I was never foolish enought to complain of boredom but once. Quickly I had chores to fill three days. When I was fortunate enough to escape my parent's notice, I fled the fold and filled my time joyously riding horses, swimming in the pond or just playing in the woods. A child noticed was a child working on our farm. It was a busy life, but I learned to work hard and that I that I was an important resource to the family. Self-esteem and being needed were never a consideration. We all knew there was a job for everyone, and we learned self-reliance very early. I am glad I don't have to work that hard now, but I am glad of my upbringing. I was extremly motivated to get a degree so as not to continue as a farm worker."
Teifion from Pembroke replies to Harriet's email:
"Harriet from Haverfordwest some of what you say is right, but you are wrong in some of what you say. Ok, they do drive in £3000 cars, but it is a front, as most of them are on the HP. Now when it comes to money, they do have alot of subsidies, yes you are right. But if you stop the subsidies then the farming will stop, and then you and me will pay 30% more for our goods and there will only be 5% of farms left in Wales. All the rest will be gone for good, and 10% more will be out of work in Wales."
Jane from Clanfield argues for free range chickens:
"I was reading Bobs note about battery hens. I agree this is a totally barbaric way to treat hens as it is alien for a hen not to move about and have a scrath around and dust bath. However, I feel the public and the supermarkets should take the blame too - they still happily buy them and the shops stock them to sell cheaply and earn a tidy profit! As for barn eggs, this isn't much better in my opinion, 3,000 hens stuffed into a barn left to scrap and jostle for space. Free range is the ONLY way hens should be kept!! I keep hens and they are a complete joy. They provide outstanding tasty eggs plus hours of entertainment, and the only hassle is making sure Mr Fox can't get them. My neighbours queue up to buy any surplus eggs and marvel at the quality and taste, you can't buy eggs in the supermarkets like mine!"
Bob from Bryncoch is unhappy about simplistic arguments between town and country:
"If 'townies' left the countryside to those who live in it then we would see countryside people continue to murder foxes, battery farm animals, use heavy duty chemicals on crops, pollute rivers and no doubt there are other practises that make no sense in this day and age.
"It's not town vs countryside - such schoolyard arguments bring no credit to anyone. It's about the majority wishing countryside people to not carry out such barbaric acts in the name of agriculture."
Harriet from Haverfordwest has some very strong views on farming:
"It seems to me that farmers are always complaining about their lot. Yet they seem to get more subsidies (i.e. public money) than any other industry in the country - when the coal mines were deemed unprofitable, they were closed down... when it comes to agriculture on the other hand, there's a bottomless pit.
"Some farmers may be finding the going tough - but many drive around in the latest model of Landrover and have at least one other if not top-of-the-range, then a very decent car."
"Consumers have become a lot more suspicious of what goes on down on the farm. After BSE, salmonella in eggs etc, we want to know that the produce we are buying is safe. No more growth hormones; no more feeding dead animals to live animals; no more antibiotics. Let us be able to buy food as nature intended. If we have to pay more, so be it. We'd rather pay a little bit extra in money now - than pay a higher price in future by gambling with our health."
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