Agriculture in Britain1. British agriculture and its

Agriculture in Britain
   Good morning, everybody. I’m Elizabeth Reed. I hope that this first session, which I’ve called An Introduction to British Agriculture, will provide a helpful background to the farm visits you’ll be doing next week.
   I think I should start by emphasizing that agriculture still accounts for a very important part of this country’s economy. We mustn’t let this blind us to the fact that agriculture and its supporting industries still account for around 26% of our Gross National Product.
   And now just 2% of the workforce contribute 20% of GNP. How is this efficiency achieved? Well, my own view is that it owes a lot to a history, over the last 50 or 60 years, of intelligent support by the state, mainly taking the form of helping farmers to plan ahead. Then the two other factors I should mention, both very important, are the high level of training amongst the agricultural workforce. And secondly, the recognition by farmers of the value of investing in technology is also a remarkable factor.     Now, although the UK is a fairly small country, the geology and climate vary a good deal from region to region. For our purpose today we can divide the country broadly into three. The region you will get to know the best, of course, is the north, where we are at present. The land here is generally hilly, and the soil thin. The climate up here, and you’ve already had evidence of this, is generally cool and wet. As you will see next week, the typical farm here in the north is a small, family-run concern, producing mainly wool and timber for the market.
   If we contrast that with the eastern region, the east is flatter and more low-lying, with fertile soils and a mixed climate. Average farm-size is much bigger in the east, and farms are likely to be managed strictly on commercial lines.
   The third broad region is the west, where it’s a different story again. The climate is warmer than in the north and much wetter than in the east. The resulting rich soils in the west provide excellent pasture, and the farms there are quite large, typically around 800 hectares. The main products are milk, cheese and meat.
   So, clearly, there are marked differences between regions. But this does not prevent quite a strong sense of solidarity amongst the farming community as a whole, right across the country. This solidarity comes in part from the need to present a united front in dealing with other powerful interest-groups, such as government or the media. It also owes something to the close co-operation between all the agricultural training colleges, through which the great majority of farmers pass at the beginning of their career. And a third factor making for solidarity is the national structure of the Farmers’ Union, of which virtually all farmers are members. All right, that is all for today. I wish you would enjoy your farm visits next week.