Farmers: Are They Greedy Bastards?

There's a story in the papers this morning about Jamie Oliver and other chefs calling for the public to boycott supermarket milk. Supermarkers have, apparently, driven the cost of milk so far down that farmers are now producing it at a loss.

Now it sounds like bullshit to me, why would a farmer produce milk at a loss?

Personally, I am tired of farmers pleading poverty. If it doesn't rain enough they plead poverty because they don't have enough crop, if it rains too much they plead poverty, if the petrol price rises they plead poverty etc.

My parents live in the country and their house is inbetween two farms. Both farmers drive top of the range cars, their kids go to private school, and they both have spanking new machinery. They don't appear to be in poverty.

So are the farmers pissed off because they are just a little less rich or are they really struggling?

Yes they are greedy bastards, always moaning despite making more than a decent living.

i don't know either way, but my friends dad is a farmer and he doesn't seem short of money.

Farmers work bloody hard and they are being shafted by the big supermarket chains like Asda, Tesco and Morrisons etc.

I don't know anything about farming but i went out with a farmers daughter for a bit and she had a 14 bedroom house and was absolutely minted.

Reebok Trotter wrote:Farmers work bloody hard and they are being shafted by the big supermarket chains like Asda, Tesco and Morrisons etc.

Perhaps the supermarkets are making basic foods cheaper by squeezing profits of greedy farmers? Just because you work hard doesn't mean you should be able to live the life of a king.

To be fair its another type of lifestyle career that hasn't actually moved with the times and many have not sidelines to help with keeping in profit.



It is correct to say that under the new "supermarket" prices farmers will now be making a loss - cost of producing milk compared to selling price to the supermarket wholesalers - but how many of these farmers have other lines such as B&B, cheese making, farm shops, "trust" boxes, camping sites etc etc etc. If a farmer just relies on one product then they are doomed to failure. Farmers, like publicans now have to go that extra mile to create money and be imaginative to create that money and bring people in/sell their produce.

You could say that farmers are greedy bastards. They work bloody hard which gives them big appetites. I once went for a job on a farm. The Farmer asked me, ' can you use a fork ?'

I replied, ' Of course, what time is lunch ?'

This post has to be a 'wind-up' to create a discussion.

Nothing wrong with that, there's a big wide world out there, it's not all just 'Coyle must go' or ' Who shall we sign; thread No. 137' or ' If you don't use foul language you are not a real man' etc. You get the idea.



Farming has to be one of the hardest jobs of all. Literally seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, in all weathers, the job has to be done.



Supermarkets have changed our lives. A one stop shop where you can buy just about all your needs. If you are sufficiently well organised you can do a week's shop at one go saving time and money. This is beneficial to the average household and has brought considerable power to the supermarket. This power includes being able to dictate to the supplier the price they will pay in exchange for a 12 month (or whatever) contract. Sounds okay so far. Of course it's not so simple. When the shopper starts to feel that cash is getting a bit tight and they have to budget and may be cut down a bit. then naturally,supermarkets have to do the same. Famers are vulnerable to a squeezing on profit margins providing as they do, meat, dairy and vegetable produce. They more or less have to accept what the supermarket will offer.



Whittam says that they have new cars and don't appear to live in poverty. Good , I couldn't do their job.

Their children go to private schools. So what, if you believe in private education why should farmers children not go?

Should no-one drive nice cars. educate their children privately and be out of poverty or is this life style just for others.



Unlike the financial sector, farmers actually produce something.Where would we be without them.

Good post Chipbutty. I have nothing but admiration for farmers. They rise at six to feed their chicks and work till dusk so why shouldn't they be rewarded for their hard work ?

It's a bloody hard life. Apart from the odd frozen stuff from Iceland I don't buy any meat from the big supermarkets. I have a local butcher I use who gets all his meat from the abattoir. You can tell the difference straight away because I reckon a lot of supermarket meat has been injected with water to increase it's weight. If we don't use our local butchers and greengrocers they will disappear altogether and then the big supermarket chains will have the monopoloy and can charge whatever price they feel like.

chipbutty wrote:
Farming has to be one of the hardest jobs of all. Literally seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, in all weathers, the job has to be done.

Whittam says that they have new cars and don't appear to live in poverty. Good , I couldn't do their job.

Their children go to private schools. So what, if you believe in private education why should farmers children not go?

Should no-one drive nice cars. educate their children privately and be out of poverty or is this life style just for others.

Unlike the financial sector, farmers actually produce something.Where would we be without them.

The point I was trying to make is that farmers are always claiming they are in financial trouble. I remember a few years back the leader of the farming union saying half the farms in the UK would go out of business if petrol went over £1 a litre. They didn't.

I have absolutely no problem with people making a good living, sending kids to private school etc, what I do have a problem with is well off people trying to make out they're on the breadline and always moaning about it.

Must admit when I lived back home in Bolton I was an Asda shopper - mainly because there was no butchers or greengrocers close by. But since I moved, only things I buy at the supermarkets are packaged goods and tin of produce. I but fresh fruit and veg everyday from either greengrocers or the open market, meat comes fresh from the butchers and bread is bought from the numerous bakers near to me. In fact it now works out cheaper to do this than just buying at one place.