Foresight is the key ingredient

Not only are there more mouths to feed as a result of demographic changes, but a series of food scares have enabled Yorkshire’s farming fraternity to champion the unrivalled quality of local produce.

Food scandals such as that surrounding the sale of horsemeat have led to growing public awareness about the source and content of meat products – as well as the introduction of clearer labelling laws after a successful campaign by this newspaper.

In short, the public’s recognition of local producers and their desire to support them at butchers shops, farmers’ markets – as well as by persuading more supermarkets to stock their shelves with Yorkshire-sourced food – is the primary reason why many farms have been able to withstand the full force of the economic downturn.

That said, this county’s farmers still face immense obstacles if they are to be in a position to exploit any Government-led measures that lead to a reduction in Britain’s food imports.

As evidenced by the number of dairy farmers forced out of business because of the unrealistic financial demands of the major supermarkets, spiralling production costs – exacerbated by severe weather ranging from floods washing away crops to snow drifts burying livestock in upland areas – mean many farm enterprises are struggling to make ends meet, in spite of concerted attempts to diversify and work with tourism bosses.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging that farmers are willing to adapt, especially as this is an industry previously noted for its recalcitrance. The challenge now facing industry leaders, and the Government, is harnessing this enthusiasm.

Not only is it key to the sustainability of the rural economy, but also critical to ensuring that families do not go hungry in future because of the lack of one key ingredient – foresight.

Groundbreaking Peak District plan

LIKE the iconic landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, the rugged terrain of the Peak District is emblematic of the country’s national parks. Without this stunning countryside, Britain would be much the poorer.

It is this region’s great fortune that it is surrounded by these three great gems, and that they are within easy reach of thriving cities where open space can be at a premium because of development pressures. Yet, while the views are unrivalled, it is easy to take for granted the fact that this land requires the most careful of management, even more so at a time when hill farmers are struggling to eke out a sustainable living from the land.

As such, the National Trust’s 50-year blueprint for the Peak District, released yesterday, could not be more profound – or significant. A strategy brimming with purpose and ambition, including the potential return of black grouse to the moors that disappeared in the 1990s, it also reveals the scale of the challenge confronting the conservation charity if the natural habitats on its 40 square miles of land are to continue to flourish in an evolving environment.

That so much emphasis is being placed on this landmark report, and the need to secure long-term funding, is testament to all those who were part of the mass trespass at Kinder Scout in 1932 that paved the way for the public to have access to these cherished landscapes.

More than a century on, the right to access must also be accompanied by an even more responsible attitude towards the upkeep of such special land so it can be enjoyed by future generations. As such, the National Trust blueprint is a massive step forward that in terms of its significance is akin to groundbreaking protests of the past.

McBride account taints Miliband

THE beginning of the Labour conference was always going to be overshadowed by the serialisation of Damian McBride’s memoirs – and his account of the poison at the core of Gordon Brown’s government makes gruesome reading for Ed Miliband and Ed Balls as they fight to win the public’s trust on the key issue of economic competence.

The notion that the Opposition leader did not exert influence over Labour’s runinous economic policy is shattered by this assertion: “At the Treasury, the two Eds were a double act. The idea Miliband was ever made to feel subordinate to Balls is baloney, along with the myth of him bringing Balls his morning coffee.” It is unlikely to reassure all those who still believe that Labour’s spending plans simply do not add up.

Yet what will disturb so many is the level of feuding between supporters of Mr Brown and Tony Blair, and the extent to which the media were manipulated in order to shatter the reputations of at least two Home Secretaries. Mr Miliband talks about the need to clean up politics, but first he needs to explain whether he approved any of the ‘dirty tricks’ that have been disclosed – Dame Tessa Jowell says he knew about these activities – and what he would then do to curtail the influence of special advisers. His response is critical to his chances of becoming PM in 2015.