You might just about see my neighbour's SIX Blonde d'Aquitaine cows in the middle/left of the picture below. They have recently been joined by a small flock of Egrets.
Agriculture is in a pretty poor state here at the moment. There are still a few cows about, but otherwise not much happens. The sunflowers are a joint affair between non land owners and farmers, and some maize is grown. Otherwise hay is just about the only universal crop; but for who they make it, I'm not sure. Much of it remains in the fields until it turns black, then it is taken away somewhere to rot.
I know three local farmers whose farms will come to a full stop when they either retire or die; there is no-one to take over whatever farming is still done.
So much good productive land is now left to grow weeds and brambles; it really is a very sad sight. Just 50 or so years ago when I first arrived in my village it was a very different affair. There were vines everywhere, fields of wheat tobacco and maize, pigs, ducks, geese, and huge veg patches that grew everything the family needed to get through the whole year. Every farm was self-sufficient, but, at the same time, I imagine that no-one took a regular salary.
They still do harvest chestnuts. It is a favourite crop of local farmers as it really takes no work other than mowing maybe twice a year; then much of the harvesting is done in Autumn by noisy machines.
It is rare these days to see a chicken or a duck in a farmyard; and as for pigs, they are long gone.
I cannot understand what the government thinks it's doing. Why import so much food when it could easily be home grown? There is so much perfectly good productive land that is simply doing nothing, and there are so many knowledgeable famers who are simply twiddling their thumbs.
There are two large fields within a few yards of our cottage that have been left unproductive. This one above, which is about 3 acres of really good flat arable land, and another bigger one in front of us that has been completely over-run by Brambles and small trees. Such fields are not exclusive to around us; they are everywhere.
Many of the more entrepreneurial farmers embraced tourism and have restored old houses, or converted farm buildings into holiday accommodation; but even this is now in peril. The EU is making it more difficult for British tourists to come to France, and I've seen very few Dutch cars around. As for those tourists who used to visit Spain, they are now looking elsewhere; where they and their Pounds or Euros are more welcomed.
Decent restaurants are becoming rarer here, and there is very little for a tourist family to do. There seems little reason to come here any more. It used to be such a popular destination.
I find it all very sad.
Sounds like madness. Is something similar happening in the U.K.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's quite so bad in the UK, but they still import things that could easily be grown there. Here they actually pay people to do nothing.
DeleteAt least you haven't suffered from the latest English farm crop - solar panels - yet?
ReplyDelete... or housing 😔
DeleteSuch a waste.
ReplyDeleteAnd I HATE waste.
DeleteWhat a sad decline to witness.
ReplyDeleteThe change has been devastating. It's not at all the place we knew all those years ago.
DeleteA malaise that seems to be affecting much of Europe, if not the world, these days.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's all being done on purpose; with what idea in mind, I don't know!
DeleteWhat indeed has happened to farming especially in Europe and Uk. I was brought up on my Grandfather 's farm he would be astonished at the lack of agriculture. Is the EU responsible for this? Why aren't these countries more self-sufficient! It is a baffling mystery. Someone somewhere is making money out of this. Very sad. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand it. Farmers now receive a payment for how much land they own, rather than for what they produce, and we now import from countries that respect actual farming!
DeleteThe demise of the peasant farmer perhaps? Are there any cheap properties for sale where you live in France? Or even any work? In England there are 175000 people on the allotments waiting lists. Programmes like Escape To The Country show people property for sale for kings ransoms. The poor people who would work the land have to move to the towns and cities. The only upside of nature reclaiming the land is it's creating natural habitats.
ReplyDeleteAngela Rayner is allowing councils to sell their allotments. She's a hooligan.
DeleteYes, plenty of cheap property here, but very few jobs. All the younger people are leaving for towns and cities. A terrible shame.
I stayed nearby in Castillones in 1977 over the summer helping a friend of mine working on converting an old farm house into something slightly more comfortable. There was farming everywhere, I loved the smell of the tobacco fields. How awful that it has all gone.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the Tobacco came one of Europe's biggest moths. They have all gone now, which is a shame. This year I've seen no Crickets or Cicadas, and I haven't seen any Stick insects or Praying Mantis for years. Everything is changing.
DeleteI hesitate to hold EU law responsible for the farming crisis. Farming is hard work and the consumer wants cheap food. It doesn't add up. Well, we had this discussion before.
ReplyDeleteOf far more importance - and this worries me, and I am not easily worried - is climate change and its impact. Read an article this morning about the impact droughts have had this year on produce; not least in Southern Europe. Irrigation systems means big investment. It's a vicious circle: In order to invest you need to produce. In order to produce you need ... ad nauseam. Cat chasing its own tail. Which is fun for the onlooker, maybe not so much for the cat.
U
See my comment to Charles above about insects. A lot of the rivers here are very low, and some of the smaller streams have dried-up altogether. Things aren't looking good.
DeleteWe are just experiencing some horrendous Thunder and Lightning. I don't think I've ever heard such load Thunder. WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy here too in my area of the Cotswolds. Apart from being forced to have farmland taken over for building houses 'they' are pushing to have acres of farmland completely taken over by solar panels. We have a small (getting gradually larger year by year) airport near us - called Oxford London Airport which is ridiculous seeing as we're 60 miles away from London. The airport is a training ground for new pilots and the airport authorities are very much against fields of solar panels around the airport and, quite rightly, they say what happens if one of these new pilots suddenly needed to ditch. Landing on fields of electronic equipment if there's nowhere else is a horrific thing to imagine.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose the sudden exodus to The Cotswold's helps much either. Even one of our neighbours in Brighton has moved there. Less farming; more ponies!
DeleteFarming has become very corporate. It is all about the money.
ReplyDeleteSimultaneously, crops are being genetically modified and grown in greenhouses and some fields as well. Most veggies bought in our grocery stores has little flavor.
Sadly, farm grown produce on a large scale seems to be a thing of the past.
The small Farmers Markets in local towns and cities carry the best produce. They sell out quickly!
It really isn't good, is it! There are huge tomato growing greenhouses in the UK that produce nothing but tasteless red spheres. I even saw some Haricot Beans here recently that came from Kenya. We really should get back to growing outdoor seasonal fruit and veg'. I fed myself with my garden for decades, and it was superb. Sadly that had to end after Brexit. There HAS to be a return to proper farming.
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