Farming

Farming is the major land use in the Circuit, and farmers and farming interests are central to many of the local industries. They have therefore a large influence on local authorities and on public opinion in the area.

Farming itself is no longer a major employer; mechanisation has almost eliminated the farm labourer and a process of consolidation going back over a century has pushed out the majority of smallholders. It is the support industries that employ people: distributors, suppliers, machine hire, specialists, these add up to an important economic base and source of employment.

Farming feels under threat as the Government continues to remove the cosy regime based on maximising production and shifts farming into the same open market conditions as the rest of industry.

Many farms are now looking at ways to diversify; unusual crops and herds, tourism, sport, shooting and fishing, horse riding and osier beds are all being tried in various parts of the region with varying success.