In most of Europe, it is currently perfectly legal to live in a caravan or camper or log cabin, any temporary dwelling in fact, without planning or other permissions on land which you own.
In this country it is not allowed. What I would like to see is the abilty for those who wished to, to live full time on their own land, in a temporary dwelling.
Why is this idea important?
In most of Europe, it is currently perfectly legal to live in a caravan or camper or log cabin, any temporary dwelling in fact, without planning or other permissions on land which you own.
In this country it is not allowed. What I would like to see is the abilty for those who wished to, to live full time on their own land, in a temporary dwelling.
For the government to remove cats from the protection of law such that householders can trap and destroy non-indigenous cats as a pest.
Why is this idea important?
For the government to remove cats from the protection of law such that householders can trap and destroy non-indigenous cats as a pest.
The Poisons Act is outdated, confusing and ineffectual legislation which needs to be reviewed against current European Law and amended to effectively deliver the necessary and appropriate safeguards for the safe sale and supply of those chemicals which are judged by today's standards to require such controls.
There should be a re-instatement of the Poisons Board to examine the validity of the Poisons Rules and review them in the light of modern legislative and operational standards.
The anomaliesand inconsistencies that exist in this legislation compound the confusion surrounding the scope of the various lists of chemicals to such an extent that the outcomes are counter-productive and do not add to the level of safety of the public that they should.
Why is this idea important?
The Poisons Act is outdated, confusing and ineffectual legislation which needs to be reviewed against current European Law and amended to effectively deliver the necessary and appropriate safeguards for the safe sale and supply of those chemicals which are judged by today's standards to require such controls.
There should be a re-instatement of the Poisons Board to examine the validity of the Poisons Rules and review them in the light of modern legislative and operational standards.
The anomaliesand inconsistencies that exist in this legislation compound the confusion surrounding the scope of the various lists of chemicals to such an extent that the outcomes are counter-productive and do not add to the level of safety of the public that they should.
The design of our towns and cities leaves a lot to be desired when coping with the unforseen traffic levels for when they were designed. Most 'A' roads are of single lane construction and where the roads widen are often littered with parked vehicles.
A free and easy way to alleviate traffic problems is to ban parking along these 'A' roads which would add to safety and help keep the traffic moving.
It may inconvenience a few motorists but for the greater good it will help solve a problem that can be operated almost overnight at little or no cost.
Why is this idea important?
The design of our towns and cities leaves a lot to be desired when coping with the unforseen traffic levels for when they were designed. Most 'A' roads are of single lane construction and where the roads widen are often littered with parked vehicles.
A free and easy way to alleviate traffic problems is to ban parking along these 'A' roads which would add to safety and help keep the traffic moving.
It may inconvenience a few motorists but for the greater good it will help solve a problem that can be operated almost overnight at little or no cost.
Many people would like to grow their own animals as well as vegetables but the laws and regulations are horrendous. Even to have one pig is a nightmare. I have spoken to several ex farmers who gave up business due to excessive farming regulations and heavy handed implementation. The only exception is chickens, you can have up to 25 without registration. But what about sheep, pigs, cows and other animals? Its time British people REGAINED the rights. During the war the government were only too happy to have us grow pigs and sheep.
Why is this idea important?
Many people would like to grow their own animals as well as vegetables but the laws and regulations are horrendous. Even to have one pig is a nightmare. I have spoken to several ex farmers who gave up business due to excessive farming regulations and heavy handed implementation. The only exception is chickens, you can have up to 25 without registration. But what about sheep, pigs, cows and other animals? Its time British people REGAINED the rights. During the war the government were only too happy to have us grow pigs and sheep.
There is an opportunity to reform and rationalise the number of residential design standards that apply to new housing. This would tackle the sheer number of standards that currently includes: Building for Life, Code for Sustainable Homes, Design for Manufacture, Lifetime Homes, Secured by Design and Design for London.
Some of these standards appear subject to frequent change, for example over the last eight years, affordable housing in London has been subject to Scheme Development Standards, then Housing Quality Indicators, and now the new Design for London Standards. Many of these standards have entirely appropriate individual aims, but it is their cumulative impact that is problematic as they are increasing cost and complexity for developers, reducing the viability of individual developments, and ultimately resulting in reduced housing delivery.
The second problem is applying common standards to very different situations across the country. For example ‘Lifetime Homes’ are very much an appropriate standard in some locations, but not others. The third problem relates to the enforcement of standards. There is often no clear deliniation between planning departments and building regulations departments and conflicting advice between the two, as the Penfold Review points out.
Why is this idea important?
There is an opportunity to reform and rationalise the number of residential design standards that apply to new housing. This would tackle the sheer number of standards that currently includes: Building for Life, Code for Sustainable Homes, Design for Manufacture, Lifetime Homes, Secured by Design and Design for London.
Some of these standards appear subject to frequent change, for example over the last eight years, affordable housing in London has been subject to Scheme Development Standards, then Housing Quality Indicators, and now the new Design for London Standards. Many of these standards have entirely appropriate individual aims, but it is their cumulative impact that is problematic as they are increasing cost and complexity for developers, reducing the viability of individual developments, and ultimately resulting in reduced housing delivery.
The second problem is applying common standards to very different situations across the country. For example ‘Lifetime Homes’ are very much an appropriate standard in some locations, but not others. The third problem relates to the enforcement of standards. There is often no clear deliniation between planning departments and building regulations departments and conflicting advice between the two, as the Penfold Review points out.
Crown Estates licence areas for moorings and another department (DEFRA?) licence areas for fishing. It appears there is no consultation between departments and licences are granted for different use of the same area of sea bed and conflict of use occurs. This leads to bad feeling and potentially dangerous situations.
Why is this idea important?
Crown Estates licence areas for moorings and another department (DEFRA?) licence areas for fishing. It appears there is no consultation between departments and licences are granted for different use of the same area of sea bed and conflict of use occurs. This leads to bad feeling and potentially dangerous situations.
Recently introduced regulations require anyone keeping vertebrate animals for commercial purposes who transports animals other than single animals or for journeys less than 40km to pass a test and periodically retest. This regulation should only apply to people moving larger numbers of animals, for example it could apply to LGVs or HGVs but not other classes of vehicle.
It is absurd that, for example, someone who breeds dogs occasionally should be breaking the law if they take their two dogs in the car for a day trip.
Why is this idea important?
Recently introduced regulations require anyone keeping vertebrate animals for commercial purposes who transports animals other than single animals or for journeys less than 40km to pass a test and periodically retest. This regulation should only apply to people moving larger numbers of animals, for example it could apply to LGVs or HGVs but not other classes of vehicle.
It is absurd that, for example, someone who breeds dogs occasionally should be breaking the law if they take their two dogs in the car for a day trip.
The current rules on sustainability & purchasing come from DEFRA as part of Government Buying Standards, which are a long academic pre-amble to a very short & useless list of suppliers called Buyingsolutions.gov.uk. I suggest a tweak to the pre-amble and then a way of expanding the list. A longer list of suppliers the shorter the buyers' jobs. At the moment they have to read a great long pre-amble and then find only about one firm per industry on the list. I guess the preamble is wasted because a buyer would think:
"Dell for computers, BMW for vehicles, Microsoft for software: they'll know the rules".
The tweak is just to mention the sustainability of UK manufacturing.
Then I suggest that certain UK manufacturing industries are chosen which could do with some understanding, but not subsidy, from government because they have been forced to work in a very lean low-admin way over the past decades.
This is how to expand the list and so make buyers' jobs easier
When buying in each industry, buyers should be required to look for every last supplier and write to each about future contracts asking for advice about whether the contracts could be changed to sustain UK manufacturers. A specialist business link team could be set-up to advise the industry on how to get onto government tender lists and advice government buyers on how to find suppliers. More generally, there might be something to be done about getting enthusiasts and people with a background in the industry to do the buying. An example:
These are the current regulations on sustainable purchasing which are all pre-amble.
Government Buying Standards (formerly known as Buy Sustainable Quick Wins) are designed to make it easier for government buyers to buy sustainably. They include:
Why is this idea important?
The current rules on sustainability & purchasing come from DEFRA as part of Government Buying Standards, which are a long academic pre-amble to a very short & useless list of suppliers called Buyingsolutions.gov.uk. I suggest a tweak to the pre-amble and then a way of expanding the list. A longer list of suppliers the shorter the buyers' jobs. At the moment they have to read a great long pre-amble and then find only about one firm per industry on the list. I guess the preamble is wasted because a buyer would think:
"Dell for computers, BMW for vehicles, Microsoft for software: they'll know the rules".
The tweak is just to mention the sustainability of UK manufacturing.
Then I suggest that certain UK manufacturing industries are chosen which could do with some understanding, but not subsidy, from government because they have been forced to work in a very lean low-admin way over the past decades.
This is how to expand the list and so make buyers' jobs easier
When buying in each industry, buyers should be required to look for every last supplier and write to each about future contracts asking for advice about whether the contracts could be changed to sustain UK manufacturers. A specialist business link team could be set-up to advise the industry on how to get onto government tender lists and advice government buyers on how to find suppliers. More generally, there might be something to be done about getting enthusiasts and people with a background in the industry to do the buying. An example:
These are the current regulations on sustainable purchasing which are all pre-amble.
Government Buying Standards (formerly known as Buy Sustainable Quick Wins) are designed to make it easier for government buyers to buy sustainably. They include:
To implement a selective approach to classifying back gardens as greenfield sites.
Why is this idea important?
To implement a selective approach to classifying back gardens as greenfield sites.
These regulations implement CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in the EU and therefore the UK. Before any species in trade in CITES Appendix II species is permitted, the scientific authorities of the exporting countries are required to make a non-detriment finding that the export will not adversely impact a species survival in the wild.
The WTR require that a number of “harsher domestic measures” are applied. Among these measures is the requirement that before import UK authorities must also complete a non detriment finding. In effect ,this just repeats the work undertaken by the scientific authorities in the exporting country.
In total the harsher domestic measures in the UK can be estimated to cost almost £1 million pa (approximately 25% of the annual budget of the CITES Secretariat in Geneva). This cost burden on industry that provides for administrative capacity in UK government agencies rather than direct on the ground conservation benefits or capacity in the range states of CITES listed species in trade. In many instances the import charges exceed the price paid for species from the exporting country.
Why is this idea important?
These regulations implement CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in the EU and therefore the UK. Before any species in trade in CITES Appendix II species is permitted, the scientific authorities of the exporting countries are required to make a non-detriment finding that the export will not adversely impact a species survival in the wild.
The WTR require that a number of “harsher domestic measures” are applied. Among these measures is the requirement that before import UK authorities must also complete a non detriment finding. In effect ,this just repeats the work undertaken by the scientific authorities in the exporting country.
In total the harsher domestic measures in the UK can be estimated to cost almost £1 million pa (approximately 25% of the annual budget of the CITES Secretariat in Geneva). This cost burden on industry that provides for administrative capacity in UK government agencies rather than direct on the ground conservation benefits or capacity in the range states of CITES listed species in trade. In many instances the import charges exceed the price paid for species from the exporting country.
European rules require that import documents for live animals be signed by a vet prior to Customs clearance irrespective of the risk a particular consignment poses. This requirement increases costs to both business and government. If Animal Health Officers (AHO) were permitted, as used to be the case, to sign relevant import documents under the supervision of vets, then costs and pressure on veterinary expertise could be reduced without increasing risk. For example, consignments of tropical marine and freshwater organisms are lower risk, not least because they could not survive release in the wild, and their import could be approved by AHOs. This would allow vets to devote time to targeted inspection of higher risk consignments. Thus there would be an increase in bio security with concomitant reduction in costs and delays incurred by businesses importing low risk consignments.
Why is this idea important?
European rules require that import documents for live animals be signed by a vet prior to Customs clearance irrespective of the risk a particular consignment poses. This requirement increases costs to both business and government. If Animal Health Officers (AHO) were permitted, as used to be the case, to sign relevant import documents under the supervision of vets, then costs and pressure on veterinary expertise could be reduced without increasing risk. For example, consignments of tropical marine and freshwater organisms are lower risk, not least because they could not survive release in the wild, and their import could be approved by AHOs. This would allow vets to devote time to targeted inspection of higher risk consignments. Thus there would be an increase in bio security with concomitant reduction in costs and delays incurred by businesses importing low risk consignments.
It is important theat certain notifiable plants, such as ragwort and himalayan balsam are destroyed as early as possible in the growing cycle to avoid further reproduction. At the moment, the way the rules work it is down to any individual who notes these plants to ask the landowner to remove/kill them. It is required that the reporting individual asks the landowner twice and logs the action taken (or not) before D.E.F.R.A. will get involved and even then this department is reluctant.
The usual response from a landowner informed of the existence of these plants by a member of the public is nothing!
Why is this idea important?
It is important theat certain notifiable plants, such as ragwort and himalayan balsam are destroyed as early as possible in the growing cycle to avoid further reproduction. At the moment, the way the rules work it is down to any individual who notes these plants to ask the landowner to remove/kill them. It is required that the reporting individual asks the landowner twice and logs the action taken (or not) before D.E.F.R.A. will get involved and even then this department is reluctant.
The usual response from a landowner informed of the existence of these plants by a member of the public is nothing!
The idea is to allow farmers to dispose of their dead livestock on the farm as long as certain conditions, such as distance froam a watercourse, are met.
Why is this idea important?
The idea is to allow farmers to dispose of their dead livestock on the farm as long as certain conditions, such as distance froam a watercourse, are met.
Introduce a minimum holding of (say) 25 hectares to qualify for single payments. It is absolutely crazy that anone with one or two acres can qualify and receive annual payments of several hundred pounds especially as one reads that it costs £1700 to process each one.
This will have several major effects:
1. Reduce the outgoings considerably – senior DEFRA management can easily calculate the monetary savings – probably in the order of 20%..
2. Because the number of claimants will be reduced by 80% (the 80/20 rule) there will be an enormous reduction in the need for people to process the claims.
3. Because there are many fewer qualifiers there will be a saving of at least 80% of the stationary bill – the packets of leaflets and brochures sent out several times a year.
Why is this idea important?
Introduce a minimum holding of (say) 25 hectares to qualify for single payments. It is absolutely crazy that anone with one or two acres can qualify and receive annual payments of several hundred pounds especially as one reads that it costs £1700 to process each one.
This will have several major effects:
1. Reduce the outgoings considerably – senior DEFRA management can easily calculate the monetary savings – probably in the order of 20%..
2. Because the number of claimants will be reduced by 80% (the 80/20 rule) there will be an enormous reduction in the need for people to process the claims.
3. Because there are many fewer qualifiers there will be a saving of at least 80% of the stationary bill – the packets of leaflets and brochures sent out several times a year.
All movement of livestock to shows should be banned.
Farmers wishing to buy livestock should visit the farm offering them for sale to check the quality of the animals and the care provided by the farmer. The auction at the 'show' will be in the absence of the cattle which will be saved the transport round the country and the pollution from cattle trucks. Bovine Tb will soon be eliminated.
Why is this idea important?
All movement of livestock to shows should be banned.
Farmers wishing to buy livestock should visit the farm offering them for sale to check the quality of the animals and the care provided by the farmer. The auction at the 'show' will be in the absence of the cattle which will be saved the transport round the country and the pollution from cattle trucks. Bovine Tb will soon be eliminated.
Science demonstrates that infectious diseases develop within 21 days, and if you want to squeeze it down , maybe 7 days.. There is no logic for the animal movements licensing on the grounds that it might have an effect on public health, it might have been important 10 Years ago in the furore of Foot and Mouth, but it is not important now.We are stuck with a bureaucracy that issues licences for a long gone disease
Why is this idea important?
Science demonstrates that infectious diseases develop within 21 days, and if you want to squeeze it down , maybe 7 days.. There is no logic for the animal movements licensing on the grounds that it might have an effect on public health, it might have been important 10 Years ago in the furore of Foot and Mouth, but it is not important now.We are stuck with a bureaucracy that issues licences for a long gone disease
The European Eagle Owl is a European Species and has every right to be in this country, they were hunted to extinction by the Victorians and are now slowly returning, it is correct that some of these owls are escapees from irresponsible people who should not have had them in tthe first place but who can prove which are captive escapees and which are wild, no one.
The persecution of birds of prey in this country is a national disgrace and is out of control with very few prosecutions being made against the vile people who enjoy shooting and poisoning these birds, mainly because the landowners who make thousands of pounds a year from the shooting fraternity feel that these birds are a threat to their pockets.
The punishment for the persecution of birds of prey should be much harsher, we cannot condemn the people of Malta and their disgraceful behaviour against birds when it is happening here under our noses.
Defra cannot condone a cull of one species, The Eagle Owl, which in fact lives mainly on Rabbit without giving every trigger happy bird of prey hater the impression it is okay to kill birds of prey, the arguments put forward against the Eagle Owl do not hold water as has been proven and the answer to things seems to be if you don't like it shoot it, this is totally unacceptable.
Why is this idea important?
The European Eagle Owl is a European Species and has every right to be in this country, they were hunted to extinction by the Victorians and are now slowly returning, it is correct that some of these owls are escapees from irresponsible people who should not have had them in tthe first place but who can prove which are captive escapees and which are wild, no one.
The persecution of birds of prey in this country is a national disgrace and is out of control with very few prosecutions being made against the vile people who enjoy shooting and poisoning these birds, mainly because the landowners who make thousands of pounds a year from the shooting fraternity feel that these birds are a threat to their pockets.
The punishment for the persecution of birds of prey should be much harsher, we cannot condemn the people of Malta and their disgraceful behaviour against birds when it is happening here under our noses.
Defra cannot condone a cull of one species, The Eagle Owl, which in fact lives mainly on Rabbit without giving every trigger happy bird of prey hater the impression it is okay to kill birds of prey, the arguments put forward against the Eagle Owl do not hold water as has been proven and the answer to things seems to be if you don't like it shoot it, this is totally unacceptable.
A change in planning law is absolutely essential for the continued success of farmers' markets. By their very nature the markets are often held on a certain day a month (ie. first saturday) therefore customers often get confused. A sign put up one week before and taken down the day of the market or one day after should be reasonable.
Why is this idea important?
A change in planning law is absolutely essential for the continued success of farmers' markets. By their very nature the markets are often held on a certain day a month (ie. first saturday) therefore customers often get confused. A sign put up one week before and taken down the day of the market or one day after should be reasonable.
To stop this practice going ahead.
Why is this idea important?
To stop this practice going ahead.
Currently HMRC insists that home made biodiesel (i.e. exempt producers producing less than 2500l per annum for personal use) meets EN14214 in order to benefit from the reduction in road fuel duty.
However testing against EN14214 is very expensive and therefore makes home biodiesel production uneconomic or very risky (in terms of a big bill from the taxman). Why have legislation saying you can produce up to 2500l of biodiesel and then make it impossible to do so.
The insistence on EN14214 also excludes the use of Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) which requires no processing. Producing biodiesel uses energy and leads to waste products.
Lifting the EN14214 requirement would encourage the use of biodiesel.
Why is this idea important?
Currently HMRC insists that home made biodiesel (i.e. exempt producers producing less than 2500l per annum for personal use) meets EN14214 in order to benefit from the reduction in road fuel duty.
However testing against EN14214 is very expensive and therefore makes home biodiesel production uneconomic or very risky (in terms of a big bill from the taxman). Why have legislation saying you can produce up to 2500l of biodiesel and then make it impossible to do so.
The insistence on EN14214 also excludes the use of Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) which requires no processing. Producing biodiesel uses energy and leads to waste products.
Lifting the EN14214 requirement would encourage the use of biodiesel.
It is suggested that recommendations in the Reservoirs Act made in the interests of safety should automatically remove the protection to Badgers under the Badger Act.
Badgers are numerous and suggestions have been made of widespread culling for other reasons so they should not be regarded in a sentimental way where public safety is at risk.
Why is this idea important?
It is suggested that recommendations in the Reservoirs Act made in the interests of safety should automatically remove the protection to Badgers under the Badger Act.
Badgers are numerous and suggestions have been made of widespread culling for other reasons so they should not be regarded in a sentimental way where public safety is at risk.
It is currently a legal requirement for livestock farmers to maintain an up to date record of all animal movements (I believe entries must be completed within 3 days of the movement or else…..!!). Also an Animal Medical Record Book must be kept. Both these must be presented for inspection by a civil servant every one to two years.
The Medical Record Book is particularly ridiculous. One must record such information as the date of administration of a medicine, the identity of the animal treated, when the latter might be sold and the name of the individual treating the animal. None of these things can be checked. None of these things matter to anyone. How does one identify the 324 sheep treated one week and the 534 treated a week later (or whatever)? Individual tag numbers – no thank you! That would take longer than the job of treating the flock in the first place.
The withdrawal period for the drug must also be entered. Obviously animals should not be sold for slaughter within the withdrawal period but if any farmer is so unscrupulous as to do so they are extremely unlikely to make a careful note of the fact in their Medical Record Book.
The date of purchase of a medicine must be entered. Does anybody give a toss on what day I might buy a can of antiseptic foot rot spray? I think not!
Why is this idea important?
It is currently a legal requirement for livestock farmers to maintain an up to date record of all animal movements (I believe entries must be completed within 3 days of the movement or else…..!!). Also an Animal Medical Record Book must be kept. Both these must be presented for inspection by a civil servant every one to two years.
The Medical Record Book is particularly ridiculous. One must record such information as the date of administration of a medicine, the identity of the animal treated, when the latter might be sold and the name of the individual treating the animal. None of these things can be checked. None of these things matter to anyone. How does one identify the 324 sheep treated one week and the 534 treated a week later (or whatever)? Individual tag numbers – no thank you! That would take longer than the job of treating the flock in the first place.
The withdrawal period for the drug must also be entered. Obviously animals should not be sold for slaughter within the withdrawal period but if any farmer is so unscrupulous as to do so they are extremely unlikely to make a careful note of the fact in their Medical Record Book.
The date of purchase of a medicine must be entered. Does anybody give a toss on what day I might buy a can of antiseptic foot rot spray? I think not!
Remove the requirement to join a producer scheme for small and medium sized enterprises.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 (WEEE Regulations) embody in UK law the requirements of the EU Directive 2002/96/EU. Typically, the regulations in other EU countries have been applied differently and allow exemptions for small businesses, but in the UK this is not so.
The WEEE Regulations place a requirement on companies to join a producer scheme, typically this costs £1000 per year, with additional costs depending on the amount of WEEE by weight placed on sale in the UK
The basic idea of these regulations is make manufacturers pay for the disposal costs of electrical equipment at the end of it's life, and there is some logic in this for mass produced items such as televisions. However for small companies the costs are disproportionate and the red tape is a nightmare.
There are many ridiculous aspects to this legislation.
– Producers that exclusively export (whether to the EU or rest of the world) are not covered
– Producers that make equipment in other countries for sale here are not covered
– The emphasis on the weight of the product is unfair on, for example, lathe manufacturers whose products contain lots of cast iron and concrete to make them heavy, and only a small proportion of electronics.
This is an excellent example of the UK "Gold Plating" an EU Directive
Why is this idea important?
Remove the requirement to join a producer scheme for small and medium sized enterprises.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 (WEEE Regulations) embody in UK law the requirements of the EU Directive 2002/96/EU. Typically, the regulations in other EU countries have been applied differently and allow exemptions for small businesses, but in the UK this is not so.
The WEEE Regulations place a requirement on companies to join a producer scheme, typically this costs £1000 per year, with additional costs depending on the amount of WEEE by weight placed on sale in the UK
The basic idea of these regulations is make manufacturers pay for the disposal costs of electrical equipment at the end of it's life, and there is some logic in this for mass produced items such as televisions. However for small companies the costs are disproportionate and the red tape is a nightmare.
There are many ridiculous aspects to this legislation.
– Producers that exclusively export (whether to the EU or rest of the world) are not covered
– Producers that make equipment in other countries for sale here are not covered
– The emphasis on the weight of the product is unfair on, for example, lathe manufacturers whose products contain lots of cast iron and concrete to make them heavy, and only a small proportion of electronics.
This is an excellent example of the UK "Gold Plating" an EU Directive
All the paper work that is expected to be produced when you farm a area of land that is well with in the limits of stocking rates and you are expected to produce complicated N figures for usage of land where you use little or no fertiliser only the organic manure that your animals have produced. The time spent on gathering this information and working out is hours, when I am sorry the most important thing on our farm is caring for our livestock and this year with the lack of grass due to the hot summer and lack of rainfall it has been a very trying time and we are quite lucky but I certainly feel for the larger farms with large herds and beef animals. We farm 91 ha and have a animals on our holding of 135 with Dairy cows and young stock. Being just a small family farm my self and my husband it has taken me over 3 days to get the imformation that was needed for a 50 page tick list for cross compliance. Our working day is quite often 12-14 hours and with animals, they have to be sorted then and their not tomorrow . The people that make these rules seem to forget we are working with a living product depending if it is a animal or crop. The one thing we are reallly dominated with is the weather and farmers can only do work on their fields when conditons are right and crops are at certian stages. but these rules and regs are bound and their is no movement, where we as farmers can only do things when the circumstances are right
I am not against rules but come on where has common sense gone.
Why is this idea important?
All the paper work that is expected to be produced when you farm a area of land that is well with in the limits of stocking rates and you are expected to produce complicated N figures for usage of land where you use little or no fertiliser only the organic manure that your animals have produced. The time spent on gathering this information and working out is hours, when I am sorry the most important thing on our farm is caring for our livestock and this year with the lack of grass due to the hot summer and lack of rainfall it has been a very trying time and we are quite lucky but I certainly feel for the larger farms with large herds and beef animals. We farm 91 ha and have a animals on our holding of 135 with Dairy cows and young stock. Being just a small family farm my self and my husband it has taken me over 3 days to get the imformation that was needed for a 50 page tick list for cross compliance. Our working day is quite often 12-14 hours and with animals, they have to be sorted then and their not tomorrow . The people that make these rules seem to forget we are working with a living product depending if it is a animal or crop. The one thing we are reallly dominated with is the weather and farmers can only do work on their fields when conditons are right and crops are at certian stages. but these rules and regs are bound and their is no movement, where we as farmers can only do things when the circumstances are right
I am not against rules but come on where has common sense gone.