Star comment: Farmers' views must be heard
There is a voice in the EU debate that is not being heard. Campaigners and politicians with urban outlooks are not reaching beyond their bubble to the world of agriculture and farming, a sector which has a huge stake in the way the referendum vote goes.
We have done our bit today to try
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The stake farmers have in the decision is direct and financial because British farmers benefit from EU money, which accounts for a substantial part of their income one way or the other. It is a major market on their doorstep.
Shropshire and Mid Wales are agricultural heartlands, so it is an issue of strategic importance to these parts.
A crucial question as farmers weigh up the pros and cons will be what support they could reasonably expect from the British Government if the UK were to exit the EU. It is probably going to be one of the unknowns hanging over the debate, as those sort of questions do not generally elicit answers unless and until the particular eventuality arises.
We do have an idea what things will be like in agriculture should Britain remain in the EU. They will be tough. It's an easy one, because times have been tough in farming for ages and in some areas, like dairy farming, they have become increasingly desperate. Looking forward, there does not appear to be any particular reason to expect a dramatic improvement any time soon.
We have interviewed farmers on both sides of the argument. Farmers are like a big family and supportive community, and for them to disagree is like a mild family difference of opinion. The EU brings with it support for agriculture, but there is a cost with bothersome rules, interference and meddling.
An important voice is going to be that of the NFU, which has 55,000 members in England and Wales. It has commissioned a study on the implications, and only when it has considered that will it decide what position to adopt. In a debate in which there have been complaints that we getting reliable information, this careful and thoughtful approach has much to commend it.
Whatever the NFU decides will make a headline. But the agricultural dynamic is so important that it should be making headlines more or less every day. Farmers themselves need to be vocal because if they do not speak up for the agricultural case one way or the other, why should anyone else?
