A winter of very expensive heating and little food?

Whitewavemark2

What I don’t understand is that if there is no problem as the head in sand-ers like us to think, why are there top level crises talks taking place?

Perhaps the HITS think the government are just digging up dead cats and dreaming up strawmen - as those head-in-the-sanders so often do. Both the government and the HITS (oh how you could play with that) are obviously running so scared they cannot face the truth. Although I do hope the government will catch up.

Farmers are not cutting back on plant growth.

What some are doing is switching from crops which involved cheap intensive labour to ones that involve less or where machines can do more of the work.

Some are planning a return to the Pick Your Own that was around before cheap EU labour was available.

Or maybe some young people will actually begin to think that Agriculture could again become a career. That would be a good thing, don’t you think?

This winter will be the perfect storm if this government doesn’t find some competent decision makers immediately.

High energy prices, food shortages and covid, plus of course the Brexit fall out and businesses going bust.

Dead cats, strawmen, heads-in-sanders ?

Peasblosson the nearest agricultural college has been over subscribed for the last few years, my neighbour’s son has at last been able to gain a place there.Agriculture has become a popular career choice.

rosie1959

Well NI won't affect winter it doesn't come in until next April
Still haven't noticed any food shortages in our area
Every where in Europe and further afield seems to be experiencing different problems
Fixed my energy until September 2022 which now looks very beneficial

rosie1959:

Well NI won't affect winter it doesn't come in until next April

Obviously it won't affect you.

I am quite sure the fear in engenders in others will be with them as they see any security they may have had disappearing.

lemongrove

Dead cats, strawmen, heads-in-sanders ?

Frenchmen, government bashers, SNP supporters ???

(Sorry PippaZ, I really will shut up now . Off to finalise my application to Agricultural College. Do they accept vegetarians?)

Alegrias1

Don't think so PippaZ, Aveline and I were having a little side discussion about vaccines. We probably took the thread off topic. I'll keep quiet now.

Thank you Alegrais. I missed that - sorry.

I also missed the tortoise and hare discussion. For what it's worth I think you need a team with both in it.

Alegrias1

lemongrove

Dead cats, strawmen, heads-in-sanders ?

Frenchmen, government bashers, SNP supporters ???

(Sorry PippaZ, I really will shut up now . Off to finalise my application to Agricultural College. Do they accept vegetarians?)

They may not accept you.....but the Army will! You could help them man the ambulances in Scotland??

Apologies Pippa we should really get back to the serious topic of very little to eat this Winter.

Rising utilities will affect everybody that’s for sure.

Ah well, I should have known my attempt to put the farming point of view would just meet with mockery.

Who cares what those bumpkins think ?

CO2 shortage affects not only some foodstuffs, but also, beer.

Now that could be a major 'irritation' for an awful lot of people...

And electricity supply? Well, this won't have helped:

A fire breaks out at a key electricity converter station where power from two cables connecting France to the U.K. comes to shore

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-15/fire-hits-key-power-converter-station-linking-u-k-to-france?cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-bloomberguk&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=bloomberguk

(apologies for long link)

PippaZ

rosie1959

Well NI won't affect winter it doesn't come in until next April
Still haven't noticed any food shortages in our area
Every where in Europe and further afield seems to be experiencing different problems
Fixed my energy until September 2022 which now looks very beneficial

rosie1959:

Well NI won't affect winter it doesn't come in until next April

Obviously it won't affect you.

I am quite sure the fear in engenders in others will be with them as they see any security they may have had disappearing.

Not quite sure how you know it won’t affect me but I was just stating a fact

Peasblossom

Ah well, I should have known my attempt to put the farming point of view would just meet with mockery.

Who cares what those bumpkins think ?

We know several Farmers and you are correct that are converting to crops which can be harvested mechanically.

There are mechanical harvesters to rent for those not in a position to purchase one outright or not already in possession of one.

Perpetually calling people heads in sanders is becoming rather tedious…

Might help with the obesity problem if less food around, just a thought!!

What some are doing is switching from crops which involved cheap intensive labour to ones that involve less or where machines can do more of the work.

Can you detail which crops they're switching 'from' and which they're switching 'to', Peasblossom? Doesn't that mean some foodstuffs will be in short supply?

Some are planning a return to the Pick Your Own that was around before cheap EU labour was available.

PYO has never gone away up here (NE). Lots of opportunities to PYO soft fruit in season. We have one large operation fairly locally that does PYO veg as well. But access requires a car. Which rather restricts the number of people who can take advantage of it. And, you know, climate change, pollution...

Though some enterprising companies might organise bus trips to PYO outlets [grin}

sf101

Might help with the obesity problem if less food around, just a thought!!

I don't think that restricting supply of fruit & veg will do much to reduce obesity. Potatoes (think nice, filling, fatty chips) are already harvested mechanically.

Also, a diet low in fruit & veg causes other health problems...

No shortages of CS gas or meat here in Belgium and no empty shelves. I read the UK press and also Belgian press and I never see these frantic articles.

I thought exactly the same sf101 !

Any weight loss will gradually filter through to benefit the NHS which apparently spends billions per year tackling diseases associated with obesity.

Weirdly though it’s not always a popular viewpoint on GN.

JenniferEccles

I thought exactly the same sf101 !

Any weight loss will gradually filter through to benefit the NHS which apparently spends billions per year tackling diseases associated with obesity.

Weirdly though it’s not always a popular viewpoint on GN.

We've really hit a new low on GN, haven't we?

We won't have the obesity to deal with then in this brave new world. Wonder if they still know how to deal with rickets?

Around here PYO died a death with the advent of cheap, itinerant labour. Crops, like strawberries, were more profitable picked cheaply and sold on.

Cereals, oils like rape, fodder need much less manual labour so some farmers are switching to those.

Others, having invested in poly tunnels etc are looking to a return to PYO.

Will some things become less available? Yes, no doubt. Will there be food available? Yes.

It was your statement that farmers are cutting back on plant growth that I wanted to correct. They’re not. They are adapting. Actually more land is being turned over to crops around here now that the various EU set aside schemes no longer apply and there are Sustainable Farming grants available.

It’s a time of change. Personally, I like to have facts rather than rather dramatic inaccurate statements.

H I’ve replied to Maizie but it was WWW that made the comment about cutting back on plant growth.

Sorry.

Perpetually calling people heads in sanders is becoming rather tedious…

And yet, saying all the time that the French hate us and that's why we have all these problems, but that there are really no problems, that the government know what they are doing and it will all be fine.

That's OK, is it?

In the light of this thread, people might find the video on this link 'interesting'

Personally I don't know whether to laugh or cry

twitter.com/BrexitBin/status/1434965020262207490