Most people recognise that the countryside and landscape of the British Isles have been fashioned by the need for agriculture over the last 6,000 years. However, within the last two decades the internationalisation of agriculture has led to a position where almost all of our basic foodstuffs can be imported and the requirement for a domestic agricultural industry has been much reduced. On the back of numerous food and animal health scares this has prompted the question as to whether conservation and our countryside would be better off without farming. Some people believe we should stop farming in the UK as a matter of principle while others are beginning to recognise that it may occur for economic reasons anyway. We discuss the implications for a number of ecosystems below:
The Landscape:
Winter light filters gently through these well known beech
trees but without constant grazing by sheep this landscape would disappear.
Hawthorn and blackthorn scrub would quickly fill the wood and work outwards
down the slope obscuring this view to all.
The Coastline:
We take it for granted that a walk along the coast path will
provide fabulous views and that the species rich grassland will be a
great place to picnic. It is likely that during the busy summer months
that the cattle are elsewhere, but without their involvement throughout
the rest of the year, this coastline would quickly be covered in gorse
and blackthorn.
Chalk Grassland:
Chalk grassland is internationally recognised as a unique ecosystem
that is rich with biodiversity. Each square metre can contain 100's
of rare plants. Chalk grassland is nutrient poor and exists only because
grazing prevents the loss of the habitat to dense scrub.
Linear Features:
Hedges of all types need regular management without which they quickly
revert to lines of trees that are of much reduced usefulness to wildlife.
Throughout the 1990s farmers were regularly criticised for the removal
of thousands of miles of hedgerow even though there was no actual loss.
The hedge illustrated was planted in 1995
Parkland:
The formal countryside that surrounds many of our country houses and
institutions exists because of its close integration with agriculture,
often to within a few yards of the front door. Grazing by cattle and
sheep maintains a close grass sward which resists invasion by brambles,
nettles and woody scrub. Without symapthetic management this typical
morning scene would be lost.
Ancient Woodland:
Most of the UK's remaining anciet semi-natural woodland is found in
the farmland landscape and privately owned. In the last twenty years
there has been renewed interest in maintaining the biodiversity of these
important habitats through coppicing. This example illustrates a ride
that is closing over. Without more coppicing the wood will become too
dark to support nightingale and butterflies. If local and profitable
agriculture does not exist these habitats will once again fall into
disrepair.
Statistics for Agriculture in the Economy
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
| Agriculture contribution to economy (£ millions) |
6720 | 6852 | 7151 | 7421 | 7165 | 5109 | 5280 | % GDP (present value) (%) |
0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Imports (£ millions) |
16828 | 18267 | 19091 | 20944 | 21942 | 23429 | 24835 | Exports (£ millions) |
8702 | 8506 | 8915 | 9881 | 9702 | 9942 | 10505 | Balance of Trade (£ millions) |
-8126 | -9761 | -10176 | -11063 | -12240 | -13487 | -14330 | Self sufficiency all foods (%) |
67 | 63 | 62.4 | 63.5 | 62.3 | 58.5 | 58.1 | Self sufficiency indigenous foods (%) |
80 | 75 | 75.5 | 76.6 | 75.0 | 72.0 | 71.5 | Total Income from Farming (£ millions) |
1499 | 1661 | 2228 | 2839 | 2558 | 2171 | 2303 | Average Net Farm Income (£) |
8700 | 13000 | 13900 | 24300 | 17500 | 17500 | 20600 | Farmland price England (£ per hectare) |
7406 | 6915 | 7172 | 7654 | 8651 | 8895 | Farmland price Wales (£ per hectare) |
5192 | 6513 | 6498 | 6107 | Farmland price Scotland (£ per hectare) |
2894 | 3984 | Farmland price Northern Ireland (£ per hectare) |
9961 | 12456 | 14475 | 16286 | 19837 | Food manufacturing (£ millions) |
20679 | 21307 | 20788 | 20788 | Food wholesaling (£ millions) |
6633 | 7880 | 7548 | 8908 | Food retailing (£ millions) |
17947 | 19221 | 19995 | 21778 | Food non-residential catering (£ millions) |
18359 | 21126 | 20879 | 21268 | Agri food contribution to economy (% GVA) |
7.4 | 7.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
User comments - post a comment
