Steve Ridsdale

@LizWebsterSBF @RobertJenrick Sweeping statement. Couldn't they get a contractor to do it for them.

@steveridsda @RobertJenrick Govt can’t pump it themselves. Not without massive costs and would take years. And not worth the effort.

It is economic lunacy to ignore our rich energy reserves. Reform will unapologetically drill in the North Sea for oil and gas. We’ll get bills down and bring back good jobs.

@LizWebsterSBF @RobertJenrick Unless gov pump the oil themselves and sell it at a sensible price. They don't have to sell the licenses to BP/Shell. BP&Shell might not be very happy though.

@RobertJenrick North Sea oil doesn’t belong to UK consumers. It’s sold on global markets, so drilling more doesn’t guarantee lower bills. That’s basic energy economics.

@cattlefinishers Let NCP collapse then renegotiate the leases.

Psst wanna buy a car park business... PwC said NCP had a "high concentration" of inflexible leases that prevented it from reducing costs or scrapping unprofitable car parks.

@colinwalker79 What if our gov drilled it themselves, they could let it into our markets for sat $50/barrel. BP might not be happy though.

Your regular reminder that, since oil and gas are sold on the international market, any extra drilling in the North Sea would do next to nothing to the price we pay at the pump

@loosecollie @thevalleyfarmer @cutlerstom @angusgowthorpe L Fallow probably means better soils, but it also means less food crops grown (compared to BPS times). That doesn't bother me, I don't care if we're not self sufficient. I care about my profit. Although I care if infrastructure disappears.

@steveridsda @thevalleyfarmer @cutlerstom @angusgowthorpe Does it mean less food? Same budget for options, just some got in and some didn't?

Is it more profitable to sell your fertiliser than to actually spread it?

@thevalleyfarmer @cutlerstom @angusgowthorpe @loosecollie Hmm but there was no cap on someone's application, and then no limit on increasing option areas in years 2 & 3. Then other farmers couldn't get an agreement for some time. Anyway, point is it has meant less food produced.

@cutlerstom @steveridsda @angusgowthorpe @loosecollie Budget still links to the amount that was available for CAP payments when we left EU. That was for period 2014-2020 & would have been agreed in 2012/13. So SFI budget determined by a decision taken a decade and a half ago for a different scheme with different objectives.

@cutlerstom @angusgowthorpe @loosecollie @thevalleyfarmer It's just been badly managed. They increased payment rates 'cos of low uptake, then didn't cap it, then went over budget. Awful management.

@steveridsda @angusgowthorpe @loosecollie @thevalleyfarmer Seems odd doesn’t it, to describe nature recovery, water quality etc as something that can be “over subscribed”. “That’s enough nature thank you - we won’t pay for anymore!” Could do with a bigger budget couldn’t they!

@loosecollie @thevalleyfarmer SFI will be oversubscribed again, which reduces food security. Demonstrates the value of BPS to the taxpayer. BPS wasn't a waste of money.

@thevalleyfarmer For Cereals, if now ordering, the cost difference could be £20-£30/ tonne grown. On 3t/ acre as an easy average, £60- £90/ acre deficit. No bps, and it starts to make uncomfortable reading.

@loweroddfarm I thought it might be fresh produce or something with a sort of two day expensive inspection. It's not cheap is it !

@steveridsda Crops and beef.

Opened the envelope containing this year’s fee to enable us to sell our produce. This is the tip of the iceberg, the real costs run into thousands. Legal protectionism, by key owners, some who farmers choose to also pay others who we have to pay!

@Teamdressel @loosecollie @AnnaLongthorp @DefraGovUK I suspect the point is... We've no idea when a war will start, we aren't reasonably self sufficient in food... so you might go hungry. Do you want to risk the lives of 68m people?

@loosecollie @AnnaLongthorp @DefraGovUK Let’s cut to the chase , Martin wants everyone in the UK to fill up their freezers with overpriced crap from his mates,in case there’s a war. UK Farmers will look for any opportunity to line their pockets, so predictable. 🙄

The importance of home food supply never more starkly highlighted. The Iran situation will test shelves, and systems in UAE. The consequences of war on populations goes beyond the bullets and armour. How can we make our own supply more resilient? The time is now. @DefraGovUK

@Teamdressel @AnnaLongthorp You can get a JCB tractor... but they don't have a very good reliability reputation, and only come in big sizes.

@AnnaLongthorp So Anna buys Japanese farm machinery , whilst telling the UK public to “buy British”. You really couldn’t make it up. The absolute hypocrisy of UK farmers.👇🏼

The mighty Kubota 💪🚜 Best tool in the box for the quagmire #machine

@BenGoldsmith @AnnaLongthorp @angelaeagle @EmmaforWycombe ELMS availability was pulled, so although some farmers got a wodge of cash, others got zero. £250/acre growing nectar mixes more profitable than growing food. That's the issue for UK farmers. No money in growing food.

Food prices are structurally too low because of cheap imports and the cartel buying power of the supermarkets. But it’s wrong to say there is no subsidy. There’s a very generous grant scheme for good stewardship of the land, which many farmers already do anyway. It’s possible under the Environmental Land Management scheme to bring in more in public funding per acre than was possible under the old basic payments, if you play your cards right.

1990 wheat was ~£110/tonne Ave tractor cost ~£30k Ave farm worker salary £8k +SUBSIDY TODAY wheat is £162/tonne Ave tractor cost ~ £125k Ave farm worker salary £30k NO SUBSIDY Doesn’t take a genius to work out farming, producing food is NON VIABLE @angelaeagle @EmmaforWycombe

@HPG_Farmer @FWAbiKay Might go and work for them if my profit goes down and their wages remain the same. Play them at their own game.

@FWAbiKay How about cutting DEFRA staff wages to below the national minimum wage in sympathy with the farmers they are regulating?

SFI latest: 💷 Defra considering cutting payment for some options to below income foregone ❓Rationales for repricing include overuse & sense farmers will deliver anyway because they “enjoy it” 📉 Officials relaxed about 50% uptake of new schemes 👇🏼 fwi.co.uk/news/farm-poli…

@Moo4organic @louisearable @baseuk @Longwool @AshleyDaveJones That's what I thought Adam.

@louisearable @baseuk Have you considered its just not as cost effective given the returns from arable? Your thoughts @Longwool @AshleyDaveJones

Farmers doing a good job 👍 ⁦@baseuk⁩

@AnnaLongthorp There's some sad cases of mental illness and the system doesn't seem to work for them. They need help (although maybe easier said than done to achieve).

Absolutely gutted this evening. At the soup kitchen I help out at a familiar face I’ve not seen in a long time came over and gave me a massive hug. This chap, an ex-farmworker used to come years ago. We obviously got on well due to common ground. 1/11

When the chair of Bord Bia admits to importing lower-standard Brazilian beef, the credibility of our quality assurance schemes for the food industry is undermined. You cannot demand gold-plated standards from Irish farmers while doing this. Larry Murrin’s position is untenable.

@ADMAgriculture I've put my views forward to Red Tractor for their Combinables assurance consultation. Will fill in the DEFRA one next week.

@ADMAgriculture How is this feedstuff assured ADM? And can we trade UK grain with you via a similar assurance method?

At ADM, we continue to play a pivotal role in meeting supply and demand for quality ingredients within the livestock feed market. This week, Navios Citrine completed the discharge of 66,763 mtof premium feedstuffs, setting a new record for both the UK and the Port of Liverpool.

@mays_farm @MFRFurness @ADMAgriculture 🤣🤣🤣

@steveridsda @MFRFurness @ADMAgriculture ADM say in their tweet it is premium stuff. What more assurance do you want?

@cattlefinishers @farming_union BFU X account will be more active in near future. We've got a lot coming up!

The @farming_union understand that talking to Labour is a complete waste of time. Getting opposition parties to state their position on the heap of issues facing UK farming at least sorts the wheat from the chaff. Labour don't want to listen.