Mrs Down's Diary

EVERY farmer has recently been sent a small knot of green rope tied with orange baler band from the Health and Safety executive. Why? So we remind ourselves to take a little extra care and come home safe.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jan 2009, 15:23 GMT
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:04 GMT

Of course, we had every intention of doing the opposite and a bit of rope and baler band is hardly going to make any difference, but, it will have cost a fortune in postage and felled a wood or two to provide the bumph ( that went straight in the bin). The HSE, being a public body, do not have to watch their costs in the way that self employed and privately run businesses do.

And of course , the banks are working very hard to try and get their hands on whatever profits farms and businesses do make.

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Despite all that public money that has been poured into them. This morning we had a call from our bank manager. Our overdraft is up for renewal.

The cost, believe it or not, and this is non-negotiable, has not been doubled, not tripled or even quadrupled; it has been nearly octupled. Eight times to what it was last year. And we have not even reached our limit and for most of last year were in credit. Fortunately I am married to a very canny farmer.