The farming lobby has wrecked efforts to defend our soil | Environment | The Guardian

The farming lobby has wrecked efforts to defend our soil | Environment | The Guardian



You would expect farmers to try to protect their soils, which are the
foundations of their livelihood, and many do. There are some excellent
farmers in Britain, careful, well-informed and always thinking of the
future.




But across large areas of land, short-termism now triumphs over
common sense. Farmers are often in debt to the banks, and seek to clear
that debt as quickly as they can. Many are growing crops that are simply
incompatible with protecting the soil. Some don't seem to know very
much about soil erosion and why it happens. Others – especially contract
farmers working on other people's land – don't seem to care.

 

Sensible land use is giving way to smash-and grab-exploitation.



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