Apparently one in four British adults likes the idea of giving up the day job to work on a farm. But a new report from the rural charity the Prince's Countryside Fund highlights a chasm between between the positive perception and the tougher realities of the profession.
For example, when asked to estimate the annual incomes of UK farmers, the public’s guess averaged £46,801, with 9% of people estimating farmers’ salaries to be over £75,000. In reality, DEFRA reported in 2015 that average farm incomes had fallen below £20,000, the lowest point since 2007. The Prince's Countryside Fund estimates that 50% of farmers no longer make a living from farming alone.
Interestingly, only 32% of respondents said their knowledge of the countryside and farming was either poor or very poor, while 95% of farmers surveyed said they don’t think the British public understands the everyday challenges that farmers face.
Published Monday 31 July 2017
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