Are farmers ever happy?

DS86DS · 14-07-2020 8:47am #1

For as long as I can remember, news stories of angry and discontented farmers have kept popping up in the newspapers as well as on television.

Whether it be from complaining about subsidies, to complaing about hedgerows, to complaining about pylons, to complaining about wind turbines, to complaining about foxes and badgers, to complaining about hikers and strollers, to complaining about environmental impositions, to complaining about drones, to complaining about just about everything, they never seem to be happy with their lot in life. Despite being subsided by urban workers, they will nonetheless complain about townies along with tales of this and that being Dublin-centric.

They will complain that their boreen doesn't have the same standards of infrastructure, waste disposal services, public transport or access to other such key services as the evil Dublin-centric Dublin area full of Dubliners, forgetting of course that these urban areas are densely populated ones which also happen to pay more than their fair share of taxes in order to cover and justify such services. They act like they are self-sufficient guardians of the land and have an almost messiah complex that they're keeping the rest of us alive with their hard work and toil. When in reality, they are heavily subsided by government taxes, paid of course in large part by the urban workforce.

They consistently flout environmental laws almost to the point of criminal negligence. Miles upon miles of rivers and groundwater sources throughout the land are heavily polluted thanks to corrupt and incompetent farmers allowing run off from farms to continue with often disastrous results for everything from fresh water fish populations to the sources of drinking water for others.

Greedy farmers often with land on flood plains have for decades strong armed their local gombeen TD's and councillors into getting their parcel of land rezoned and cashing in big time in the thereafter. During periods of heavy rainfall, whole housing estates built within unsuitable river valley areas have been flooded resulting in millions of euros worth of damage. As per usual, if a local authority refuses to grant farmers planning permission to rezone their land to residential - they will kick up a fuss and complain

Whenever they feel the slightest grievance, whether real or imagined - they will decend upon Dublin en masse in their tractors intent on causing traffic chaos throughout the city until they've felt they've gotten their point across and gotten what they wanted in the first place. If that doesn't work, they will bring their tractors down again and thus - complain, again.

In short, it seems like farmers are never happy.

Rows Grower · 14-07-2020 8:51am

I know a few of them and they're always happy.

screamer · 14-07-2020 8:52am

Jees did you have your weetabix this morning?

Ipso · 14-07-2020 9:12am

screamer wrote: »

Jees did you have your weetabix this morning?

Maybe an infected spinal column on a bap.

SEPT 23 1989 · 14-07-2020 9:14am

They have big sheds and nobody is allowed in

alchemist33 · 14-07-2020 9:15am

If I had a brush that size, I could paint my house in a couple of minutes.

whisky_galore · 14-07-2020 9:15am

Did a farmer shıt in your garden OP?

TheValeyard · 14-07-2020 9:16am

whisky_galore wrote: »

Did a farmer shıt in your garden OP?

That's what happened to his weetabix!

Edgware · 14-07-2020 9:26am

DS86DS wrote: »

For as long as I can remember, news stories of angry and discontented farmers have kept popping up in the newspapers as well as on television.

Whether it be from complaining about subsidies, to complaing about hedgerows, to complaining about pylons, to complaining about wind turbines, to complaining about foxes and badgers, to complaining about hikers and strollers, to complaining about environmental impositions, to complaining about drones, to complaining about just about everything, they never seem to be happy with their lot in life. Despite being subsided by urban workers, they will nonetheless complain about townies along with tales of this and that being Dublin-centric.

They will complain that their boreen doesn't have the same standards of infrastructure, waste disposal services, public transport or access to other such key services as the evil Dublin-centric Dublin area full of Dubliners, forgetting of course that these urban areas are densely populated ones which also happen to pay more than their fair share of taxes in order to cover and justify such services. They act like they are self-sufficient guardians of the land and have an almost messiah complex that they're keeping the rest of us alive with their hard work and toil. When in reality, they are heavily subsided by government taxes, paid of course in large part by the urban workforce.

They consistently flout environmental laws almost to the point of criminal negligence. Miles upon miles of rivers and groundwater sources throughout the land are heavily polluted thanks to corrupt and incompetent farmers allowing run off from farms to continue with often disastrous results for everything from fresh water fish populations to the sources of drinking water for others.

Greedy farmers often with land on flood plains have for decades strong armed their local gombeen TD's and councillors into getting their parcel of land rezoned and cashing in big time in the thereafter. During periods of heavy rainfall, whole housing estates built within unsuitable river valley areas have been flooded resulting in millions of euros worth of damage. As per usual, if a local authority refuses to grant farmers planning permission to rezone their land to residential - they will kick up a fuss and complain

Whenever they feel the slightest grievance, whether real or imagined - they will decend upon Dublin en masse in their tractors intent on causing traffic chaos throughout the city until they've felt they've gotten their point across and gotten what they wanted in the first place. If that doesn't work, they will bring their tractors down again and thus - complain, again.

In short, it seems like farmers are never happy.

Would you be happy if you had 150 acres, a herd of milk cows, 1000s from E.U. without getting out of bed and all you get from your government is " a raw deal"?

CardBordWindow · 14-07-2020 9:26am

But sure there's no money in farming!

........but a load of grants!

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 14-07-2020 9:28am

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

hawkwing · 14-07-2020 9:30am

Edgware wrote: »

Would you be happy if you had 150 acres, a herd of milk cows, 1000s from E.U. without getting out of bed and all you get from your government is " a raw deal"?

Would you be happy paying €30 for a chicken or €20 for a litre of milk?

ratracer · 14-07-2020 9:31am

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

I like the way this is going........let’s not forget taxi drivers, publicans....

SlowMotion321 · 14-07-2020 9:39am

ratracer wrote: »

I like the way this is going........let’s not forget taxi drivers, publicans....

Don't forget EVERYONE in Dublin!

Castlekeeper · 14-07-2020 9:39am

hawkwing wrote: »

Would you be happy paying €30 for a chicken or €20 for a litre of milk?

Or maybe a universal imcome of 10k a year plus food vouchers?

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 14-07-2020 9:48am

Castlekeeper wrote: »

Or maybe a universal imcome of 10k a year plus food vouchers?

Off to Venezuela you go.

You do realise UBI will drive inflation causing prices to go up, thus defeating the purpose of UBI?

Ush1 · 14-07-2020 10:06am

And the chickens are saying, why am I so massive?

topper75 · 14-07-2020 10:22am

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Off to Venezuela you go.

You do realise UBI will drive inflation causing prices to go up, thus defeating the purpose of UBI?

Correct. Merely shifts the demand curve upwards. No point in that.

Many of our left-leaning pals don't like talking about curves/equilibrium stuff though. They prefer to talk about free everything for everybody forever.

Tig98 · 14-07-2020 10:30am

It's a labour of love, because no one could be in it for the money. Most farms around the country are lucky to break even if not have a small bit of profit.

Funny how you think city workers subsidise farmers in the country - there could be no people living in the cities if farmers were not able to produce such a substantial, reliable yield. Its the government that very minimally subsidises farming. Imagine the early covid panic buying X 10 if food chains actually broke down and people were starving because the only plant they own is an aloe vera.

Either subsidise farming to an extent or let food prices dramatically increase nationwide and face protests for increase in the minimum wage, like what happened in France with the yellow vest riots

Montage of Feck · 14-07-2020 10:39am

What do we need farmers for anyway? I get every thing I need from the supermarket!

listermint · 14-07-2020 10:42am

topper75 wrote: »

Correct. Merely shifts the demand curve upwards. No point in that.

Many of our left-leaning pals don't like talking about curves/equilibrium stuff though. They prefer to talk about free everything for everybody forever.

woo woo fight to the death, last man standing.

libertarianism yehaaaaw

super_furry · 14-07-2020 10:46am

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

Sounds like someone failed their leaving.

elperello · 14-07-2020 10:47am

Farmers are personally happy and professionally unhappy.

Castlekeeper · 14-07-2020 10:50am

Castlekeeper wrote: »

Or maybe a universal imcome of 10k a year plus food vouchers?

topper75 wrote: »

Correct. Merely shifts the demand curve upwards. No point in that.

Many of our left-leaning pals don't like talking about curves/equilibrium stuff though. They prefer to talk about free everything for everybody forever.

Tig98s post is the reality that most whingers obviously don't get.

My suggestion was an attempt to allude to this reality by placing a farcical alternative for the consumer. It must have been a little abstract in its reference to the current agricultural commidity/food price subsidy system that is the status quo, which is disastrous for farmers and the environment.
Probably went over some people's heads, but that bar may be low given how far to the right they're leaning.

joeguevara · 14-07-2020 10:52am

A person who isn't happy about farmers not being happy. Oh the irony.

Huntergonzo · 14-07-2020 10:53am

DS86DS wrote: »

For as long as I can remember, news stories of angry and discontented farmers have kept popping up in the newspapers as well as on television.

Whether it be from complaining about subsidies, to complaing about hedgerows, to complaining about pylons, to complaining about wind turbines, to complaining about foxes and badgers, to complaining about hikers and strollers, to complaining about environmental impositions, to complaining about drones, to complaining about just about everything, they never seem to be happy with their lot in life. Despite being subsided by urban workers, they will nonetheless complain about townies along with tales of this and that being Dublin-centric.

They will complain that their boreen doesn't have the same standards of infrastructure, waste disposal services, public transport or access to other such key services as the evil Dublin-centric Dublin area full of Dubliners, forgetting of course that these urban areas are densely populated ones which also happen to pay more than their fair share of taxes in order to cover and justify such services. They act like they are self-sufficient guardians of the land and have an almost messiah complex that they're keeping the rest of us alive with their hard work and toil. When in reality, they are heavily subsided by government taxes, paid of course in large part by the urban workforce.

They consistently flout environmental laws almost to the point of criminal negligence. Miles upon miles of rivers and groundwater sources throughout the land are heavily polluted thanks to corrupt and incompetent farmers allowing run off from farms to continue with often disastrous results for everything from fresh water fish populations to the sources of drinking water for others.

Greedy farmers often with land on flood plains have for decades strong armed their local gombeen TD's and councillors into getting their parcel of land rezoned and cashing in big time in the thereafter. During periods of heavy rainfall, whole housing estates built within unsuitable river valley areas have been flooded resulting in millions of euros worth of damage. As per usual, if a local authority refuses to grant farmers planning permission to rezone their land to residential - they will kick up a fuss and complain

Whenever they feel the slightest grievance, whether real or imagined - they will decend upon Dublin en masse in their tractors intent on causing traffic chaos throughout the city until they've felt they've gotten their point across and gotten what they wanted in the first place. If that doesn't work, they will bring their tractors down again and thus - complain, again.

In short, it seems like farmers are never happy.

Sounds like someone is jealous of farmers :-)

Terrible thing jealousy

14-07-2020 11:09am

jammiedodgers · 14-07-2020 11:12am

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

Teachers! I knew it was them! Even when it was the farmers I knew it was them!

SlowMotion321 · 14-07-2020 11:29am

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

I was a teacher for a number of years thanks for the sh1tload of money you gave me, ah ha hahahahahahaha......:D

topper75 · 14-07-2020 11:46am

listermint wrote: »

woo woo fight to the death, last man standing.

libertarianism yehaaaaw

Ah - it's more I'm willing to produce lettuce if I can get €1 a head for them and somebody else is willing to spend €1 for a head of lettuce = the lettuce is sold.

No deal at 80c a head or €1.20, but no death ever. I think you might have lost the run of yourself there a tad.

Give everybody magic money and you have more people with more money looking to buy that same lettuce. The price comes under pressure and rises.
You are at square minus 1 (less competitive economy). Das Kapital doesn't seem to cover any of this.

whelan2 · 14-07-2020 11:48am

Edgware wrote: »

Would you be happy if you had 150 acres, a herd of milk cows, 1000s from E.U. without getting out of bed and all you get from your government is " a raw deal"?

If it was that good everyone would be at it

El Weirdo · 14-07-2020 11:49am

Ipso wrote: »

Maybe an infected spinal column on a bap.

You should have said baguette, because a spinal column would fit in a baguette.

John Hutton · 14-07-2020 11:50am

whelan2 wrote: »

If it was that good everyone would be at it

Yeah I can just pop out and get 150 acres.

joeguevara · 14-07-2020 11:54am

Hey you wanna make a bit of money. You should do what I did, get into farming. See this, I got this selling corn, it comes out of the ****in ground, I couldn’t believe it. You see that, it’s made of chicken, it’s actually made of chicken, you kill it, you got free chicken and you can sell it to people, or don’t kill it, ****in eggs come out of their asses. ****in hell. You know sheep a bit wooly, it’s wool! Pull if off and sell it, ****in grows back again, you can not lose. [cock-a-doodle-doo] Brilliant you don’t even need an alarm clock. Unbelievable, it’s only 5 in the morning and I’m right where I work. And while the other poor sods struggling in on the tube, I’m gonna get some milk from a cow who’s a jammy bastard! Look at all this milk, I’m gonna make a ****in fortune.

jimgoose · 14-07-2020 11:56am

Hi, ye Jackeens! Farmers have shotguns, JCBs and acres and acres of land out woop-woop. Just sayin', like...

14-07-2020 12:05pm

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Their grievances are genuine.

Unlike overpaid, underworked leeches who call themselves teachers.

ratracer wrote: »

I like the way this is going........let’s not forget taxi drivers, publicans....

Sure throw in the Israelis, the travellers, and the cyclists and it's practically bingo!

jimgoose · 14-07-2020 12:12pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Sure throw in the Israelis, the travellers, and the cyclists and it's practically bingo!

In the quiet words of the Lord Weird Slough Feg, "Awake, you ghouls! Drink their ichor! Feast on their giblets!"

Mad_maxx · 14-07-2020 2:49pm

DS86DS wrote: »

For as long as I can remember, news stories of angry and discontented farmers have kept popping up in the newspapers as well as on television.

Whether it be from complaining about subsidies, to complaing about hedgerows, to complaining about pylons, to complaining about wind turbines, to complaining about foxes and badgers, to complaining about hikers and strollers, to complaining about environmental impositions, to complaining about drones, to complaining about just about everything, they never seem to be happy with their lot in life. Despite being subsided by urban workers, they will nonetheless complain about townies along with tales of this and that being Dublin-centric.

They will complain that their boreen doesn't have the same standards of infrastructure, waste disposal services, public transport or access to other such key services as the evil Dublin-centric Dublin area full of Dubliners, forgetting of course that these urban areas are densely populated ones which also happen to pay more than their fair share of taxes in order to cover and justify such services. They act like they are self-sufficient guardians of the land and have an almost messiah complex that they're keeping the rest of us alive with their hard work and toil. When in reality, they are heavily subsided by government taxes, paid of course in large part by the urban workforce.

They consistently flout environmental laws almost to the point of criminal negligence. Miles upon miles of rivers and groundwater sources throughout the land are heavily polluted thanks to corrupt and incompetent farmers allowing run off from farms to continue with often disastrous results for everything from fresh water fish populations to the sources of drinking water for others.

Greedy farmers often with land on flood plains have for decades strong armed their local gombeen TD's and councillors into getting their parcel of land rezoned and cashing in big time in the thereafter. During periods of heavy rainfall, whole housing estates built within unsuitable river valley areas have been flooded resulting in millions of euros worth of damage. As per usual, if a local authority refuses to grant farmers planning permission to rezone their land to residential - they will kick up a fuss and complain

Whenever they feel the slightest grievance, whether real or imagined - they will decend upon Dublin en masse in their tractors intent on causing traffic chaos throughout the city until they've felt they've gotten their point across and gotten what they wanted in the first place. If that doesn't work, they will bring their tractors down again and thus - complain, again.

In short, it seems like farmers are never happy.

Never publicly

Privately, amongst the happiest

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 14-07-2020 3:13pm

super_furry wrote: »

Sounds like someone failed their leaving.

Thus old chestnut. I hate teachers therefore I'm a waster. :rolleyes:
I actually have a masters in a physics related field despite having my intelligence insulted by a couple of teachers who got more enjoyment in enforcing petty rules than actually teaching.

14-07-2020 4:08pm

Edgware wrote: »

Would you be happy if you had 150 acres, a herd of milk cows, 1000s from E.U. without getting out of bed and all you get from your government is " a raw deal"?

If you have 150 acres of dairy, you were probably up around 05:30 this morning.

Ridiculous comment.

893bet · 14-07-2020 4:13pm

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

If you have 150 acres of dairy, you were probably up around 05:30 this morning.

Ridiculous comment.

7 days a week.

pickarooney · 14-07-2020 4:16pm

topper75 wrote: »

Ah - it's more I'm willing to produce lettuce if I can get €1 a head for them and somebody else is willing to spend €1 for a head of lettuce = the lettuce is sold.

No deal at 80c a head or €1.20, but no death ever. I think you might have lost the run of yourself there a tad.

Give everybody magic money and you have more people with more money looking to buy that same lettuce. The price comes under pressure and rises.
You are at square minus 1 (less competitive economy). Das Kapital doesn't seem to cover any of this.

Ah here nobody cares that much about lettuce

JohnnyFlash · 14-07-2020 4:16pm

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

If you have 150 acres of dairy, you were probably up around 05:30 this morning.

Ridiculous comment.

The jackeen has very little understanding of the role that agriculture and farming plays in the food chain. Yes, even their 'legendary' batter burger has Irish beef in them.

It would appear they also have very little understanding of the role of subsidies in making that food affordable.

14-07-2020 4:20pm

screamer wrote: »

Jees did you have your weetabix this morning?

WhatsApp farmer wee'd on your cornflakes OP?

StackSteevens · 14-07-2020 4:21pm

893bet wrote: »

7 days a week.

Not forgetting that in many dairy farms, the cows are milked twice a day, especially in summertime. Not that easy to take a flexi day off or to head away for a long weekend with the missus.

SlowMotion321 · 14-07-2020 4:22pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

The jackeen has very little understanding of the role that agriculture and farming plays in the food chain. Yes, even their 'legendary' batter burger has Irish beef in them.

It would appear they also have very little understanding of the role of subsidies in making that food affordable.

Of course we do! The bloody poor farmers won't stop bleating about it!