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[Nickbat]

Heard of Defra, UK - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs?

According to its website, it is "The UK government's executive agency primarily responsible for ensuring that farmed animals in Great Britain are healthy, disease-free and well looked after."

So, you'd expect the top guys to know about farming, meat production, rural affairs, or at least something along those lines, yes?

No. After GB's latest appointment today, the four Defra ministers comprise:

* a vegetarian professional politician,
* a vegetarian fire fighting union activist
* a local authority leisure manager/union activist
* a former teacher/child protection officer.

None have any hands on experience of farming, food or rural affairs.

No wonder the farmers are angry. If this was France, they'd be blocking Downing Street with manure by now. 

Someone pass me a bacon butty, please, before they're banned.     

[Kevin Wood]

A mate of mine runs a small farm and recently replaced a fence. During the process, he decided to remove an unsightly dog-leg from the middle of the fence and this resulted in a 3 foot wide strip of land moving from one field (set-aside) to another field (grazing).

DEFRA started chasing him after a couple of weeks, IIRC, for claiming for an extra 3 foot strip of set-aside (can't remember the monetary value, but it was pennies).

So, it appears that it doesn't matter if they know the first thing about agriculture. It seems, all they do all day is look at fields on Google Earth.

Kevin

[JamesV6CDX]

Someone pass me a quarter pounder 

[Kevin Wood]

Nice evening for a barbie. And got a huge box of meat products delivered yesterday. 

Kevin

[Debs.]

  Government attitudes to our Nation`s food and farming?

Don`t get me started!...............

`deep breaths Deb.!

[Ken T]

According to Private Eye, DEFRA stands for Department for the Elimination of Farming in Rural Areas.

Kind of fits 

Ken

[crazyjoetavola]

Heard of Defra, UK - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs?

According to its website, it is "The UK government's executive agency primarily responsible for ensuring that farmed animals in Great Britain are healthy, disease-free and well looked after."

So, you'd expect the top guys to know about farming, meat production, rural affairs, or at least something along those lines, yes?

No. After GB's latest appointment today, the four Defra ministers comprise:

* a vegetarian professional politician,
* a vegetarian fire fighting union activist
* a local authority leisure manager/union activist
* a former teacher/child protection officer.

None have any hands on experience of farming, food or rural affairs.

No wonder the farmers are angry. If this was France, they'd be blocking Downing Street with manure by now. 

Someone pass me a bacon butty, please, before they're banned.     

....there's no need to Nick, a plentiful supply can be found within the portals of that august establishment 

[albitz]

Yet more joined up government.