The Plight of Cornish Farmers
Paul Dale
In the county of Cornwall, where the coastlines of the English channel
and the Atlantic ocean converge, farmers are grappling with a multitude
of challenges that threaten their livelihoods and the region’s agricultural
heritage. From intense competition to regulatory burdens and an uneven
playing field, the struggles faced by local farmers are multifaceted and complex.
Paul Dale, co-owner of the Restronguet Farm in Mylor Bridge, Cornwall, March 28, 2024. Théa Bouan
aul Dale and his brother, owners of the Restronguet farm in Mylor, have been
working on their family land doing mixed farming: growing arable and
livestock. Paul explains how in recent years, the competition has exponentially
grown. Small family farms are struggling to compete against large corporate farms who
practice large-scale farming and own most of the land in Cornwall. Two of the
main farmers in Cornwall each grow an average of 7500 hectares of land a year.
This amounts to approximately 57% of agricultural holding in the South West of Britain.
Farmers are getting older and since the viability to expand is small, the younger generation
is less driven to take over.
​
​
“When you think about it, there’s only 15 miles from the English coast to the Atlantic coast
here in Cornwall…that’s not a lot of land left!”
​
P
Restronguet Barton land by Mylor Creek, Cornwall, March 28, 2024. Théa Bouan
On top of this, farmers like Paul are faced with financial strain because of an uneven playing field within the market along with ever-increasing regulatory demands.
​
“As a farmer, it isn’t easy when you’re trying to run a profitable farm, while also keeping up with constant new regulations.”
Regulatory burdens and unfair competition
Paul’s story is only one, among the hundreds of other farmers in Cornwall, drowning in
the constant tide of new regulations. These new regulations have proven to hinder farmers
profitability, especially when forced to compete with imported products of substandard quality.
The cattle industry in the UK is no longer a financially viable single source of income for
most farmers due to a combination of strict regulations and unfair competition. Paul explains
how these regulations enable Western countries to export their pollution while maintaining
a clean domestic environment. What he means by this is that we export our pollution by buying products from countries where the environmental standards are not as high as in Europe.
“Take the UK post-Brexit: they made trade deals to import Australian beef
that has had hormone implants.
If I did that, I would go to prison and rightfully so!
You can't heavily regulate us in Europe and then just bring in the cheaper unsustainable stuff.”
“It's really an "out of sight out of mind" mindset.”
Questioning the viability of farming
​
All of these factors are placing immense pressure on farmers leading many to question
the viability of their operations.
"Most of the farmers get to my age and [are] thinking,
'Do I want to go to the bank one more time and borrow a million pounds for land?
No! I'll stay in bed and lose money. Why would I jeopardize my family's future for nothing?'"
​
Despites these challenges, farmers like Dale feel a deep sense of responsibility to uphold
the stewardship of the land passed down from previous generations.
​
“My grandparents and parents worked hard on this land and left it to us. This is
the fruit of the labor of their life.”
​
Stuck under the weight of these compounding factors many farmers experience
overwhelming mental anguish and despair. With a saddened tone, Paul explains how only
last week, a farmer from the area decided to end his own life. This is a side most consumers
do not see when walking through aisles of supermarkets. There is a strong disconnect
between consumers, the products and the producers.
​
“People grab food off of the shelves at supermarkets without really questioning where
it come from.”
​
But the truth is that there’s an entire industry behind it and it is one that is currently
on the brink of a disastrous crisis.
Agriculture played a vital role in elevating ours society to higher level and to this day still plays a role in sustaining our modern way of life.
“Prior to professional farmers, you wouldn't have sat here today because you would've
been too busy digging, hunting, or planting your own food. You wouldn't have been
able to just get it off a shelf.
Prior to this, there were no times for people to train as doctors, engineers, to be artists, and do all the things that make our society great because everyone was just trying to survive.
Everybody is dependant on agriculture but people don't seem to do that.
We are the 2% feeding the 98%.”
