Changes affecting farming systems in the EU

1. Changes affecting farming systems in the EU Case study: Mr Redfern’s Home Farm, Birmingham

2. What do you need to revise? • Understand CAP Reform and the changes that have made farming difficult. • Name of the case study & location. • Physical features affecting the farm – climate, soils, relief. • Human factors affecting the farm – pastoral/arable, markets. • Causes for changes on the farm over the years. • What is ‘diversification’? • How has Mr. Redfern diversified? • Further problems for Mr. Redfern.

3. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP Reform) CAP was brought about to aid farmers within the EU. But CAP used approx 70% of EU’s budget and provided only 5% of its income. The EU needed to help other sectors of industry so newer (less costly) policies had to be developed for agriculture. There are grants for planting hedges or woodlands. Quotas introduced on the amount of milk a farmer can produce. Also on sheep & beef cattle now. Arable area payments are made per hectare for certain crops e.g. cereals, oil seed rape, beans. Farmers are being told to farm less intensively and set aside land for environmental purposes, this can be whole fields or just an edge around the field. This means farmers are turning to other ways of making money due to poor prices they are getting for crops and animals.

4. Facts about Home Farm • Owner: Mr Redfern • Location: SE of Birmingham Conurbation Physical features: • Climate: 16 degrees C in July, 3 degrees C in January, 700mm rainfall • Soils: fertile sandy soils • Relief: gently undulating.

5. Facts about Home Farm cont… Human Factors: • Local Markets: Banbury 60km, Uttoxeter 50km • Animals: 300 sheep and herd of young bulls being fattened for meat • Arable crops: mainly wheat and barley

6. So what affects have physical & human factors had on farming for Mr Redfern? • Answer: very little in terms of physical & human factors restricting what he can do here!

7. Causes for changes to Home Farm over the years • Dairy herd were sold due to poor returns (milk 45p in shops but farmer gets 8p a litre). • Subsidies have decreased leading to a decrease in income from cereal crops by £40,000 between 1998-2000. • A lack of labour has meant the whole family had to get involved in farm life.

8. What is diversification? • This is where farmers are changing their traditional practices to include more than one agricultural product e.g. • Changing from traditional arable or pastoral practices to now include things such as a farm shop or bed &breakfast facilities. • This has been occurring over the last 5yrs as subsidies have been decreased by the EU.

9. How had Mr Redfern diversified? • B&B accommodation – 8 rooms, £30(single) & £45 double. • Car parking- lives near to NEC & Birmingham airport. People can leave their cars for £3 per day and then be dropped off. • Caravan storage-(when not needed) 20 stored at £250 each a year. • Livery- ponies kept in fields for £30 per month and with a stable for £100 per month.

10. Problems for Mr Redfern • Obtaining labour – few people want to work due to poor pay & lack of promotion. Mostly his family that are working at present. • Crime - there have been attempts to steal the caravans- one of the problems of living near a large conurbation.

11. Typical Questions: • What is meant by the term ‘diversification’? (2) • With reference to your chosen case study give specific examples of ways a particular farming system you have studied has diversified. (6) • With reference to your chosen case study describe the events that have caused farmers to diversify today (6).