WHO would be a farmer in Britain today?

Thankfully for us all, there are still many men and women out there who enjoy earning a living from the land, but for how much longer?

At all hours of the day and night they are dutifully out in the fields of Hampshire at the mercy of all the horrors the UK weather can throw at them.

And for all this diligence how are they actually repaid?

Well, according to reports today, it doesn’t matter whether you are a cattle or an arable farmer, your income is still going to be hammered. And it’s a two pronged attack.

On one side, it is the bulk-buying supermarkets that are squeezing the farmer’s income over the price of a Great British pinta.

Then on the other, it is our horrendous summer weather that is leaving the cereal crops rotting in the field.

And if your household income is slashed by either the shoppers’ demands for cheaper products or if it’s just an exceptionally wet month, then it’s no wonder farmers are quitting in their thousands.

It is an issue that we can’t afford to ignore and has to be addressed.

As a country we rely on our farmers – they are vital to our economy and our way of life.

We have to look after them and make sure their industry thrives, and the only way that we can only do that is by ensuring they get a fair deal.