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Sunday 29 July 2012

Are you ready for this...

a serious post from light-hearted Lindy Lou?



There's been a lot in the newspapers of late about 
dairy farmers being screwed for the price of their milk.


I want you to spare a thought for the work of our dairy farmers.  Every
cheap pint of milk sold in the supermarket is slowly (No not slowly -fastly)
putting another family out of business.


How do I know?  Not only from what I read in the papers
but from first hand experience.


I've had a rich and varied life, one of which was a fleeting marriage
(five years) to a dairy farmer.  The life isn't the bucolic idyll I had imagined.
Dancing through fields of wild flowers, picnics under blue skies,
barn dances, young virile farmers...
you get the picture!


And before you ask this isn't me!
This lass is far to glamorous.


The over-riding smell you get on a dairy farm is...
Yes, you've guessed it...
COW MUCK.


Twice a day on my little red Fergie tractor I scraped out 
the ankle deep shit, which is so much part of life on a dairy farm.



Every night you shower imagining that you are getting rid of the smell.
Trouble arises at social gatherings, usually laid on by
feed stuff merchants and the like, trying to flog you their wares.  The minute you get warm, your pores open the aroma of cows hangs about your person.  Luckily you are unaware of it, and sometimes on occasion, wonder why you have a completely uninterrupted view in front of you, on your oh so rare visits to the cinema.


Running a small dairy farm is truly a 24/7 occupation with NO days off.
The cows have to be milked twice a day, every day, Christmas day,
the days of funerals, family being in hospital, not feeling well days...
you get the picture?


For a long time now the price of milk paid to the farmer has been dropping.
It's the old story of the supermarkets screwing their suppliers, in order that
YOU get a cheap pint and they get a
HUGE profit.


If this is allowed to happen, all the small producers will be put out of business;
leaving the way open for EU farms where the animal welfare is at best questionable,
to supply us milk.  Is this what you really want to see?
Don't let's do to our farming industry, what has been done to coal mines,
steel and the once great British manufacturing industries.


***



4 comments:

  1. in absolute agreement with your post...but being an utter pedant I thought it might make you laugh (a little) if I make mention that your photo is of Red Devons which are beef cattle....

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  2. I've seen the back end of too many cows to worry one way or t'other. The woman is the main focus, I think she is just superb and cheerful looking too!

    LLX

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  3. I a.gree totally, linda, love the photograph. jayne x

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  4. I wish I could illustrate my feelings and thoughts like you Lin...well said my friend.xxx
    ps: I adore your lady...her frock and wellies! She does look happy even though she is ankle deep in it.

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