PRAISED for his support of the farming community, Prince Charles was welcomed by hundreds on Tuesday.
His Royal Highness was hailed a “champion of farming” as he visited Darlington Farmer’s Auction Mart to officially open the facility, a ceremony which had been delayed for 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During his visit, he heard of the challenges the livestock and farming community is facing and the affect the cost of living crisis is having on the industry alongside structural changes in the sector.
He praised the work of local farmers in rural communities who keep the country’s food supplies ticking amid ongoing shortages.
He told the crowd inside the auction ring: “It was a great joy to meet some of the farmers who I know work on so many of these very special farms in really special, beautiful areas of this countryside. As family farmers I’ve always thought you are unbelievably special.
“What so often people don’t understand is the role you play in rural communities, which is to me absolutely critical in terms of how you maintain the countryside in the long term.
“I do hope these new facilities are really worthwhile and judging by what I’ve learned today the prices of cattle and sheep aren’t too bad, so I pray they stay like that for as long as possible because you’re a very important, hefty breed of people for whom the country is very lucky to have looking after us.”
Mart worker and farmer Stephen Dodsworth said Charles’ advocacy of farming helps promote how important the industry is.
“He’s a lovely, nice guy. He’s a champion of farming and great for the industry,” he said.
“Good press is what the industry needs. There’s many voices against farming and they make a lot of noise. We need people like him to talk farming up.”
Despite concern over costs and the affordability of farming and produce in the future, Mr Dodsworth thinks the industry won’t be affected too much. “It’s the oldest industry. Without farming then nothing exists.
“It’s survived worse. It has its ups and downs and food is about to get expensive, and that’s when people appreciate farmers more and where the food comes from.”
The Prince of Wales has long been an advocate for sustainable farming, previously warning Britain is in danger of ripping “the heart out” of the countryside if it lets small farms go to the wall.
He believes the focus on producing plentiful and cheap food threatens the survival of smaller farms, but optimism can be found in the wide-ranging efforts of high-profile figures.
Last year, Charles spoke of the “hidden costs” of modern industrial farming in an essay for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. These may include damage to soils and major watercourses, emissions that add to global warming, along with the social and economic impact on local communities.
The prince told the programme: “The fact that these costs are hidden encourages us to ignore them; for example, our current approach is forcing many small family farms to the wall.
“If they go, it will quite simply rip the heart out of the British countryside and break the backbone of Britain’s rural communities.”
He said there must be support for a diversity of farms for there to be food that is healthy and produced in a sustainable way.
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