COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
- life
East Afton dairy herd
helped to encourage.
Smith has planted over 20 acres of
Mr Tom Smith, who farms over
native woodland and thousands of
1100 acres, growing cereals and
metres of countryside hedges on
vegetables, told me that farming
his farm, he has given up land for
took a serious down turn during
the new cycleway from Newport
1999.
to Sandown, insisting that it also
For a long time, farmers
have been pushed by Government
policies and with cheaper foreign
imports,
the
price
of
home
include a footpath and bridleway.
All the farmers I spoke to showed
a genuine love and concern of the
agricultural commodities, such as
countryside.
wheat has been uneconomical to
that it is their responsibility to
grow. This has resulted in farmers
maintain and improve their own
being put into a situation that has
environment and to this end take
enabled them to be manipulated
on the role of being ‘Custodians of
down certain routes, currently to
the Countryside’ for benefit and
the benefit of the environment.
enjoyment of everyone.
During the last few years, Mr.
They acknowledge
email: [email protected]
Broadfield farm potato crop.
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