FARMERS WHINGEING

Small family farms "may vanish"

Many moons ago my parents were friendly with the then president of the National Farmers Union. He was regularly on TV and in the press bemoaning the lot of the farmers and how hard done by they were by the Common Agricultural Policy. What somehow never made the press however was that he would arrive for these interviews in a 1930's supercharged Bentley that had a racing pedigree and was worth probably GBP250,000 (this was in the days when GBP250,000 was a lot of money) .

I'd better not mention his name as he was a referee for me when I was applying for jobs, but ever since then I've treated the moans and complaints of all farmers with huge scepticism.