Following on from my last blog talking about how effective the NFU is at lobbying to protect the private interests of a few wealthy farmers, this classic insight appeared this morning in the Western Morning News.

New Deputy President of the NFU, beef farmer Minette Batters, launched a farcical attack on “Green Groups” claiming “they don’t want farming to continue”. Perhaps she has been reading Feral.

Even more absurdly she said “Politicians have mistaken the Green NGOs for society. They are not, we are society.”

Let’s just take a look at that claim. The National Trust membership is over 4 million. RSPB over a million. Wildlife Trusts together are 800,000. Woodland Trust has over 300,000 members.Even accounting for multiple memberships, it was recently estimated there were 4.5 million supporters of “green groups” in the UK.

The NFU has 55000 members: agriculture students get free membership.

Yet the NFU still wield ultimate influence over land-use policy in this country. They wilfully ignore, are contemptuous of the views of 4.5 million members of the public, taxpayers paying for farm subsidies.

Who speaks for society Ms Batters?

You speak for a tiny minority, a vested interest focussed solely on maintaining your huge welfare benefits – £3 billion a year paid for by taxpayers rich and poor; and exactly what do we get in return for our money?

Thanks to Gordon McGlone for bringing this to my attention