This is interesting....

[bucket]

U.K. Farmers Get*$3.8 Billion*Over Two Years to Offset EU Exit

[parsley]

U.K. Farmers Get*$3.8 Billion*Over Two Years to Offset EU Exit

Which commodity pockets will be filled with money?

[grassfarmer]

Somebody has their figures wrong somewhere. The figures I read indicate the UK farmers currently receive around $5.8 billion a year from the EU. $3.8 billion over 2 years isn't going to replace what they were receiving (and that's what this announcement is about - it's moving the subsidy source back to the UK treasury from the EU - this is not "extra" money they are being given)

Parsley, it should actually go direct to UK farmers under the Single Farm Payment scheme which is already well established. Big fat cheques straight to the farmers mailbox, that's how they do it in Europe now - not that it stops cattle, milk or grain buyers/processors dropping their bids to well below the cost of production to get their hands on the subsidy indirectly. It's not going to fall into Canola Growers Council type hands directly though.

[parsley]

“Big fat cheque’s straight to the farmers mailbox.”

Good grief.

Do you know how taxpayers will view this? It’s their money being handed out to strangers. And how that affects good will towards farmers? pars

[bucket]

Somebody has their figures wrong somewhere. The figures I read indicate the UK farmers currently receive around $5.8 billion a year from the EU. $3.8 billion over 2 years isn't going to replace what they were receiving (and that's what this announcement is about - it's moving the subsidy source back to the UK treasury from the EU - this is not "extra" money they are being given)

Parsley, it should actually go direct to UK farmers under the Single Farm Payment scheme which is already well established. Big fat cheques straight to the farmers mailbox, that's how they do it in Europe now - not that it stops cattle, milk or grain buyers/processors dropping their bids to well below the cost of production to get their hands on the subsidy indirectly. It's not going to fall into Canola Growers Council type hands directly though.

It's 3.8 billion more than Western Canadian farmers receive and will impact grain prices just like the MFP program in the states. ...

[grassfarmer]

Do you know how taxpayers will view this? It’s their money being handed out to strangers. And how that affects good will towards farmers? pars

Actually not as destructive to farmers image as you'd think. They had a public searchable database for years posting each farm businesses subsidy payments including a neighbour of mine who was the biggest recipient in Scotland at the time with over $1.7 million annual payment. Sure, some anti-farmer types used these in their campaigns but on the whole farmers are still held in fairly high regard in society.

It's 3.8 billion more than Western Canadian farmers receive and will impact grain prices just like the MFP program in the states. ...

No, because a. it's not new money - it's either the same or less than they got in the past.
b. UK grain exports are a drop in the bucket of global trade.

[parsley]

So, grassy, you don’t think your Pal who gets over $1.7 million annual payment, from the taxpayers, is going to be resented by his neighbour with an electrical business .. who is forced to shell out this money to a farmer?
Surely you jest.

The annual erosion of credibility of any continuoulsy-subsidized farmer to make his own living surely must impact the industry-reputation as a whole.

[parsley]

NDP’s Ed Broadbent dubbed Canada ‘s Incorporated subsided recipients, “ Welfare Bums”.

I thought it was fitting. “Stand on your own two feet should be every citizen’s goal.

[bucket]

Actually not as destructive to farmers image as you'd think. They had a public searchable database for years posting each farm businesses subsidy payments including a neighbour of mine who was the biggest recipient in Scotland at the time with over $1.7 million annual payment. Sure, some anti-farmer types used these in their campaigns but on the whole farmers are still held in fairly high regard in society.





No, because a. it's not new money - it's either the same or less than they got in the past.
b. UK grain exports are a drop in the bucket of global trade.

Well if it isn't coming from the "market" and its coming from the taxpayers ...how is it not new money ...and the better question is ...how is it not impacting western canadian farmers prices????

If a buyer can buy lower cost product from the UK and the taxpayer there infills for the farmer.....why come to Canada to buy???

There isn't an open market ....that is a fairy tale....this is another example of it...

[parsley]

Grassy, I also agreed with your criticism of any kind of subsidized oil. You *do, *did, and *will, criticize continually-subsidized oil,”; correct?

The same tax$-handout-principle should apply to oil as to ag. To Morneau as to Makar.

Methinks it’s called good Government. ☺️

[grassfarmer]

Well if it isn't coming from the "market" and its coming from the taxpayers ...how is it not new money ...and the better question is ...how is it not impacting western canadian farmers prices????

If a buyer can buy lower cost product from the UK and the taxpayer there infills for the farmer.....why come to Canada to buy???

There isn't an open market ....that is a fairy tale....this is another example of it...

It's not new money in that it's the same or less than they've had annually for years and years - not going to be a market disrupter in Canada. They are nothing like competitive on price anyway so you don't have much to fear from UK competition.

[grassfarmer]

So, grassy, you don’t think your Pal who gets over $1.7 million annual payment, from the taxpayers, is going to be resented by his neighbour with an electrical business .. who is forced to shell out this money to a farmer?
Surely you jest.

The annual erosion of credibility of any continuoulsy-subsidized farmer to make his own living surely must impact the industry-reputation as a whole.

Not jesting at all - there is a segment of the community that always think farmers are rich and given too much taxpayer money but it's not a large segment. Most still think farmers are fairly upstanding citizens that work hard and aren't getting rich doing it. I think the disconnect between consumers and the farm actually helps on this score as they have no idea of the costs involved running a farm business with multi-million$ real estate and machinery in the hundreds of thousands.

There is actually more resentment within agriculture of the top handful of welfare recipients - not because they are big and successful but because they got there by cheating the system. Most of the big recipients in Scotland are livestock dealer/farmers. In the top handful at one time were a guy taken to court for forging dead people's signatures to profit from BSE status opportunities and another caught on his livestock inspection day (Gov officials coming to count cows) hauling liner loads that had been counted in the morning to another farm of his to get counted again in the afternoon. These from guys already getting north of $1 million a year subsidy.

Don't get me wrong I'm not defending the subsidy system there, it is what it is, and it's not going anywhere. I moved here in part to get away from that system.