I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be talking, but we have a few things to say, and I’m going to start with some honesty.
I lived in London for 25, 30 years and when I was here, along with other people who live in cities and go to Twitter, I thought farmers were driving around in Range Rovers… until February and then they all went skiing.
About five years ago I started farming and I realized how incredibly difficult it is, and complicated, and dangerous, and cold, very cold. Even when we harvest it is cold. And only the forest of costs stunned me. 200 thousand pounds. We all know, £200,000… Combine half a million pounds, all the equipment costs a fortune and if you try to price what you’re selling to accommodate that, it’s just a lot of whining.
People say they can get chicken from abroad. Yes you can, but there is so much chlorine it tastes like a swimming pool… then you have the environmentalists yelling at you endlessly. They say that cows change the composition of gases in the upper atmosphere, and your manure destroys the freshness of our streams and rivers. I know sometimes you think what’s the point, we’re just trying to make breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it’s endlessly revolving around the fact that there’s no money. And regulations, some of you will know what I’m talking about when I say we got a GS4 on the farm this year.
We’re told the sheep will love it. No, they don’t. They stand and look at it the same way a five-year-old looks at an olive tree. As you know, there is very little money there. Then we got the budget. I know a lot of people across the country from all walks of life got a little kick in the guts with that budget. You got a knee in the balls. And a blow to the back of the head with a hammer. We had trucks that were reclassified as official vehicles… There was an 11 percent tax increase there. Basic farm payments have gone up, we are getting a lot less than we thought. Then there was inheritance tax.
I don’t know where to start. You’ve heard a lot about that today, and I won’t dwell on it. I will say this. Rachel Reeves told us that 72 percent of farmers will not be affected by this. How many people from OPG are here? That’s a lot of hands. Lower them if you don’t think the APR and BPR changes will affect you. Thanks.
My case is over. Since the BBC is the mouthpiece of this infernal government. The problem is that I stopped drinking codeine and paracetamol. I don’t know what I’m saying. I want to finish with a message to the government. It’s this. For the sake of everyone here, and for all the farmers who stayed at home today paralyzed by the fog of despair at what has been thrust upon them. I am asking the Government to be big, to accept that this was hasty, that it was not considered and that it was a mistake. That’s a big deal – admit it and step down!
Jeremy Clarkson
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education