State owned farmers

Agriculture.

...Or to call it by its proper title. The so called self employed business subsidised by the state for Tory voters and donors -depending on how many acres the farmer owns...

Now I have nothing against farmers. There's a saying up here 'you have to piss with the dick you have'. In other words if there's a system in place that encourages farmers to be dependent on state handouts you cant really blame them for taking advantage of that system.

How in a supposed modern country can we allow a system that pays millions to self employed business owners. Who must spend more time making sure the paperwork is done to get the government handout than they do running the business. 

They get paid to cut the hedges on the sides of the road -so as the birds have no where to nest or no berries for the winter. 

They get paid to cut the verges , usually just as the flowers have come through. 

The unnecessary work they carry out is staggering. How many of these jobs would they do if they weren't getting paid to do them.

Imagine a gas fitter or electrician having this kind of set

up. 

..'Yes Mr Smith. You just keep rewiring that same house..the state will pay you. 

Its ridiculous. 

They get paid to grow crops that get the most subsidies rather than what sells best. 

They get paid to destroy the land. If the land is not ready to farm they don't get the subsidy. So don't leave them trees or meadows. Where's the encouragement to be look after the environment. 

The roads are now full of oversized tractors [all paid for by the taxpayer], destroying the asphalt and tearing up the verges. 

The damage is now that bad on many country roads that you cant see where the road ends and the verge begins- well until you blow your tyre out in the potholes and ridges.

I know its not all plain sailing for farmers. The system is now stacked in favor of the big guys. The farmers who own huge swathes of land. As time has gone by the smallholding farmer has been bought up by the neighboring larger landholder. 

Years later then this larger landholder has no choice but to sell to the even bigger farmer...and so on and so on. 

The subsidy system is really biased towards these mono-crop producing landowners. But I find it hard to feel sorry for the little farmer who has lost out to the bigger farmer.

They should have realised that one day the greedy system that they exploited would devour them as well