The word Courageux of course means Courageous, but it also means Hard Working, and I've only ever heard it used in this latter sense.
Courageux was a word of praise. To be seen as Hard Working was a compliment, and was as good as any young working man could expect. In certain sections of society, brawn over brain was seen as a virtue, and possibly still is. Over here the word tended to be used for those who were involved with agriculture.
These days it's something that one hardly ever hears, and I wondered why.
I suspect that bureaucracy is to blame, and the EU in particular. In the days when a young lad was up with the Alouette to do milking before school, then on returning home he cleaned out the Pigs before supper, he was expected to work hard, and did so; it was all part of being born into a farming family.
These days, there are very few milking herds, hardly any Pigs, and even farmyard Ducks and Chickens have become rare. EU regulations have made Hard Work uneconomical and pointless. Why bother getting up before daylight to milk a dozen Cows, if you are only going to lose money by doing so? The small scale 'peasant farmer' is no more.
If you let a person work hard, and benefit from his/her work, everyone wins. If you restrict them to doing only what 'The State' wants them to do, for little (or no) return, they will soon become forcibly unproductive.
That is what has happened here in France. Some of my neighbours hardly know what to do with their land any more. Some grow Sunflowers or Maize, others let holiday homes to Summer visitors, and some just scratch their heads; but they probably all need to be subsidised by Brussels.
What a terrible mess the EU has made of its agricultural policy; and this is only the beginning. It wouldn't surprise me if before long there's a massive Hay (silage) Mountain, as it's the only crop that still appears uncontrolled, and you don't even have to move from your sofa. Twice a year you call-in the contractor and he does everything for you.
At about €60 per 'wrapped' round bale (almost what you pay the contractor); they'll be very hard-pushed to pay off the debt on that Japanese 4 by 4, or the huge new green American tractor that they were encouraged to buy a few years back.
Meanwhile, the long line of retired EU Agricultural Ministers are all living the high life, on huge pensions; doing what so many farmers are now doing.... NOTHING.
p.s. There are rumours afoot that the Brits will all starve after Brexit. Of course they won't, but the rumours abound simply because Brussels has made such a mess of British agriculture and fishing.
Dairy farmers would love to provide milk again, arable farmers would love to grow crops again, and fishermen would love to catch fish. And without the destructive EU rules, they will.
Hello Cro thank you for this blog it has certainly made me think. What a pickle we are in! I am reading about people stockpiling food in Brexit boxes quite honestly I don't know where we are heading. I have a small garden at my new home if indeed you can call it a garden but I am getting it ready for growing some food. I can grow upwards ie beans etc and some leafy greens in the shaded bit.I will also use tubs pots and hanging baskets. People survived two wars by working harder than I can ever imagine and using everything they could there are lessons there for me and others.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I hope you are enjoying your beautiful Billy please can we hear about his progress with some pictures also I love to read about Haddocks.
It's amazing how much veg' you can grow in a small garden. The old 'Dig for Victory' days proved the point, and people stayed healthy as a result. Billy is doing well, I'll post some more pictures soon.
DeleteCentralised control of agriculture did not work well in the Soviet Union, China, Korea or Cambodia. I wonder why the EU thought it could do it better.
ReplyDeleteAs was done during WWII, Australians are ready to send food parcels to our starving English relatives.
May I put in an order for Steak, Duck, any Aussie charcuterie, and meat pies; but, please, no Vegemite.
DeleteWell, Cro, you've given me hope. What sense you speak on this matter.
ReplyDeleteOur allotment is ready and waiting. We have had it thirteen years and it feels more valuable than ever.
I echo Jomo above regarding Billy and Haddocks.
Billy grows, whilst Haddock's lies fallow. Actually, my Purple Sprouting Broccoli has just started to flower, and the Cavolo Nero tops are sprouting; wonderful.
DeleteHow very true, and all this "progress" is based on oil, which will inevitably dry up at some time.
ReplyDeletePrices always used to be compared to Mars Bars, then it was Gold, now (as you say) it's Oil. When we stop burning the stuff, which will come sooner than later, one wonders what the next 'benchmark' will be.
DeleteI often despair when I see so much farm land used for monoculture: grass. Then I read there are waiting lists in England for allotments. I would loved to have seen Britain when it was Dig For Victory.
ReplyDeleteSome of the very best land in the UK is used for Little Penelope's Ponies. Lovely old farms are being sold off to wealthy families, and Little Penelope must have her Pony.
DeleteThe same is happening here in the US. Farms are being sold off to developers because 1) Their childrenwant to do something else with their lives rather than farm, 2) The land is worth much more than any farmer could make in their lifetime and it is about signing on the dotted line and become a millionaire. I can’t blame them, but it is sad to see these farms disappearing from our landscape.
ReplyDeleteIt's all very sad. Where does all your food come from these days? Mexico?
DeleteThe US is still the breadbasket of the world. Corporations now run the majority of the farmland and they do it efficiently. There are still many small and medium sized farms in rural areas that do a good job in producing local crops and many of us with small patchs of land have our raised beds. However, the family farm, as it once was and handed down thru the family, is disappearing.
DeleteSo true. Almost every farm around me has been sold and developed except for my family's small holding and another large landholder. Growing up on a farm I hated it when all my friends were going to the beach and having a good time when I had to work. These days I am thankful for the lessons it taught me.
DeleteWhen I started working in higher education there were a lot who indeed worked very hard out of a sense of public service and vocation, and gratitude for having such a privileged job. My contract of employment actually specified I should "work reasonable hours and take reasonable holidays". There were of course those who didn't, such as one guy who as soon as the May/June exams were over was off on his boat until late September (he used to sail to the South of France). So in came the regulations and procedures and accountability and managerialism to make sure we were all helped to perform to the same standards of excellence(!). You know what effect that had. Oh yes, and the pay effectively went down as well.
ReplyDeleteSounds like communism. I always taught in the private sector where things were less government controlled; and of course the standards were much higher!
DeleteThey can get it cheaper in the Rumania, Bulgaria and soon the Balkans and if all goes according to their mad and dangerous plan from the Ukraine. They wet dream of autobahns to Moldavia, Georgia and beyond. They even talk about running their trucks and trailers taking live pigs and flowers and yoghurt and bottled water all over Europe over places like the Brenner pass in the night as there are too many in the day.
ReplyDeleteThe Austrian German border is already controlled by periodic spot checks. Resulting are normally 30 mins to an hour. Not even comparable to delays on the Brenner in the holiday season or other routes to the south in the holiday season.
In fact the German - Austria border would serve as a role model for the Ireland - N Ireland border. Spot checks and a few unavoidable delays now and again. People have got used to it here.
DeleteDoes this mean that the EU have designated those countries as their 'food producers', at the expense of the more western states?
DeleteThe Ukraine is or was known as the bread basket of Russia. The Republic of Crimea was Russian until Kruschev signed it away in a vodka induced fog. Putin took it back with a people's vote. A sort of Brexit. Where's the problem?
DeleteThe problem is that Germany (I.e. The EU masters) agreed with Gorbachev not to interfere in Russian areas of influence as part of the deal for the reunification of their East and West halves. But now it's the case that the EU wants to pick the cherries in exchange for a endless new motorway to where . . .
A lot of wise words here Cro. My farmer was that kind of man - milked before school, cleaned out in the evening (often fell asleep at his desk when he was at schoo.!)
ReplyDeleteTwas always thus, methinks.
DeleteI'm not sure that those male relatives of mine who worked themselves into an early grave by farming would entirely agree with you!
ReplyDeleteFrom small, mixed, 40 acre farms, the slog of handling churns in the snow, the investment needed on the change to tankers, then larger storage tanks because of less frequent collection, the quota system; the milk industry alone has done for many, but it is still hard work, physically, and mentally with beaurocracy and worry at every turn.
I don't know what the answer is, I suspect no one individual knows, and that's the problem. Conflict and self-interest at every turn.
Well I do think, for a start, that the bureaucrats should leave farming to farmers, and not try to organise everything from some centralised office.
DeleteI hope you are right about Britain's future. I worry about them as much as the great mess we slog through here at home.
ReplyDelete'Need' usually finds a supplier. The Brexit camps are very divided; one lot says they'll all die, the other lot sees the outlook as rosy. I don't suppose either are right!
DeleteApparently we're all going to be eating Spam after Brexit.
ReplyDeleteAh, Spam fritters. Maybe we'll all have Rickets too.
DeleteFor once I haven't made time to read all the comments so I apologise if I'm repeating things. In New Zealand there are no farm subsidies and haven't been for many years. Agriculture is thriving. The price of food is not subsidised. People pay the going rate. Mind you with the current calls for bans on just about all agriculture involving animals (including sheep for their wool) Turnip Townsend may well be called upon to lend a hand again.
ReplyDeleteI have written about the difference between EU and NZ agriculture on several occasions. I can still buy an NZ Gigot for about €20, whereas one from down the road costs about €40. Guess which I buy?
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