Uphill struggle

of the agricultural industry.

To its credit, the Great Yorkshire remains an unrivalled shop window for the custodians of the countryside and the wider rural economy. And while public awareness about the unrivalled quality of British produce has never been greater, the task facing industry leaders is still an uphill one when so many people perceive farming to be a lucrative profession when this is not so.

Research carried out on behalf of the Prince of Wales, the patron of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society which organises the Show, reveals that nine out of 10 people are ignorant about the challenges facing rural communities.

As such, the first ever National Countryside Week – which begins today – should perhaps act as a catalyst for change and remind people, to use the Government’s favourite soundbite, that “we’re all in this together”. For, without food on the table, how can any of us expect to live?