Abstract:

The statement, "farming costs are increasing, while profits are declining" is a cry familiar to almost everybody commercially associated with agriculture, but maybe not so familiar to the non-commercial associates of agriculture. Our opening slide illustrates the forces governing agriculture as it exists today. At one end of the scale is the farmer, at the other end is the policymaker and we think it is fair to say that the agricultural supply industry is sitting (not very comfortably) in the middle. Today, if the bureaucrats in Brussels decide to reduce output prices or subsidies, these predominantly, one-way lines of communication leave the farmer with only one option; that is to cut costs or die, without any opportunity for redress of discussion with these policymakers. Clearly, at least the fanning press seems to have taken up the farmer's story, as can be seen from the collation we have made of a few headlines from recent editions of the various farming publications.