TAKING STOCK

Pick up any U K farming magazine nowadays and it is highly likely you will see a full page advertisement for the Samaritans somewhere within its pages. One advert sums up the situation precisely; it is a bleak picture of a farmyard devoid of animals. A notice on the gate states in bold capitals:

CLOSE THE GATE DON'T CLOSE THE GATE I DON'T CARE ANY MORE.

Even prior to the current foot and mouth crisis farming was in decline and had one of the highest suicide rates in the country. Steven Giles, a Devon farmer who farms three hundred and fifty acres tells me of his hopes and fears for the future when I ask how he is coping in the light of the present crisis:

"Well most of the farm is arable but I've still lost over twenty thousand pounds in income due to the foot and mouth crisis, according to my accountant, for which there will be no compensation or state benefits. I feel very embittered and the only consolation is that I'm not suffering alone. Everyone's in the same boat round here and we're riding the storm together."

Mr. Giles shows me his empty pens which by now should have been full with the new season's stock. There is an eerie feeling in the air as the only sounds come from birdsong and the crunching of straw underfoot.

"We do bed and breakfast as well," Mr. Giles continues, "and we've lost considerable income on that too as a result of foot and mouth restrictions. Everything's a nightmare, there are hidden costs everywhere and even subsidies are spent before we receive them - this year we'll be lucky to break even. I'm heavily in debt to the bank at the moment and know many farmers who are making nothing at all."

I ask Mr. Giles what he thinks is the main cause of the decline in the farming industry over the past few years: "It's all down to over-production basically, there are too many people employed in farming and we all produce too much. The recent troubles with BSE, foot and mouth and swine fever have brought matters to a head. But there were already problems within the industry of long standing. There's the strong pound plus the payment of subsidy cheques in Euros and we've been jeopardised by cheap foreign imports which only make life even more difficult."

Walking with him around the farmyard I can see that Mr. Giles has spent a great deal in keeping his farm up to date with the latest equipment. He shows me his s brand new Fendt tractor, its smart red and green paintwork gleaming in the sunshine. "This

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