Things you have recently learnt

First.Aspect

kingstongraham said:

I get offended by those signs that say "Even your dog can scare or kill livestock ".

Even? Of course he could.

We have a farmer near here who has put, "shaeep can miscarriage too" signs everywhere.

Along with, "danger, lambs" signs.

I bet he's a barrel of laughs.

pblakeney

I've recently learned that Rick is the young Victor Meldrew.

rick_chasey

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

Pross

TheBigBean said:

orraloon said:

TheBigBean said:

Believing your dog doesn't like tasty meat on the bone is not really an acceptable excuse. These are things many farmers have to put up with.

Nah they don't. Shoot the dog. No worries.

Still a hassle and I suspect lifestock deaths by dogs far exceed the number of dogs shot.

I sing with someone who runs the family farm. They lose several pregnant ewes each year not necessarily because they get mauled but because of loose dogs distressing them. All those dogs that are left to run off the lead and jump all over people or other dogs that are "just being friendly" could result in dead livestock even if they never open their jaws.

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

Better than cycling through greenhouses and polytunnels? Because that's one reason Dutch agriculture is so efficient.

Me, I hate cities.

rick_chasey

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/04/how-regions-near-stalins-gulag-benefit-today-from-his-victims

This is really interesting.

Cities that came out of gulags which had higher proportions of political prisoners in Stalinist Russia have significantly better economic development even today.

rick_chasey

briantrumpet said:

rick_chasey said:

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

Better than cycling through greenhouses and polytunnels? Because that's one reason Dutch agriculture is so efficient.

Me, I hate cities.

It’s the future.

TheBigBean

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

orraloon said:

TheBigBean said:

Believing your dog doesn't like tasty meat on the bone is not really an acceptable excuse. These are things many farmers have to put up with.

Nah they don't. Shoot the dog. No worries.

Still a hassle and I suspect lifestock deaths by dogs far exceed the number of dogs shot.

I sing with someone who runs the family farm. They lose several pregnant ewes each year not necessarily because they get mauled but because of loose dogs distressing them. All those dogs that are left to run off the lead and jump all over people or other dogs that are "just being friendly" could result in dead livestock even if they never open their jaws.

Despite being strictly liable it seems that most dog owners don't tend to offer to pay for the sheep that their dogs have killed, so I imagine there is no hope for death by distress cases.

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

You don't need to like the countryside, but hating the occupants of it seems a bit much.

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

briantrumpet said:

rick_chasey said:

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

Better than cycling through greenhouses and polytunnels? Because that's one reason Dutch agriculture is so efficient.

Me, I hate cities.

It’s the future.

Having pretty places that you can cycle through that also produce food (which funds keeping them pretty and accessible) doesn't seem like such a terrible idea. Polytunnels would get boring after a while.

Pross

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Ngl I can’t stand life in the countryside.

It’s for cycling through and hoping you don’t puncture while you’re there.


Cities ftw

You don't need to like the countryside, but hating the occupants of it seems a bit much.

Yeah but it is mainly boomers that live in the countryside.

pinno

First.Aspect said:

kingstongraham said:

I get offended by those signs that say "Even your dog can scare or kill livestock ".

Even? Of course he could.

We have a farmer near here who has put, "shaeep can miscarriage too" signs everywhere.

Along with, "danger, lambs" signs.

I bet he's a barrel of laughs.

Surely you can understand his resentment?

First.Aspect

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

kingstongraham said:

I get offended by those signs that say "Even your dog can scare or kill livestock ".

Even? Of course he could.

We have a farmer near here who has put, "shaeep can miscarriage too" signs everywhere.

Along with, "danger, lambs" signs.

I bet he's a barrel of laughs.

Surely you can understand his resentment?

Not really. It is a route almost entirely used by walkers, horse riders and cyclists. The next road to the south is about 10 miles I think. In the grand scheme of things I don't see an issue and, if he wanted he could put fences up along the road. Since you don't routinely see home made signs every 50 yards elsewhere, it seems to me that he is a bit of a nutter.

masjer

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

focuszing723

AI robotica won't require food, just sayin.

pblakeney

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

rjsterry

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

Given where sheep farming typically takes place, I think that's unlikely.

masjer

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

Only 5-6% of the entire UK has been built on. If some of the sheep fields were used for housing, it would be a tiny percentage of that land. i.e still millions of hectares left for rewilding. A majority of sheep farming is in highland areas- perfect for rewilding, cr@p for housing.

tailwindhome

Americans don't really eat lamb.

Pross

tailwindhome said:

Americans don't really eat lamb.

Much more expensive as it doesn't suit their factory farming methods

TheBigBean

tailwindhome said:

Americans don't really eat lamb.

It's not the world wide animal that chicken is. Chicken and Coke are available pretty much the world over.

focuszing723

I never really like the thought of food grown by hydroponics, but realise a lot of it grown in controlled environment, green houses, are. I remember seeing this being done as a kid at EPCOT twenty odd years ago.

pblakeney

masjer said:

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

Only 5-6% of the entire UK has been built on. If some of the sheep fields were used for housing, it would be a tiny percentage of that land. i.e still millions of hectares left for rewilding. A majority of sheep farming is in highland areas- perfect for rewilding, cr@p for housing.

Try Googling Highland clearances.

First.Aspect

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

Only 5-6% of the entire UK has been built on. If some of the sheep fields were used for housing, it would be a tiny percentage of that land. i.e still millions of hectares left for rewilding. A majority of sheep farming is in highland areas- perfect for rewilding, cr@p for housing.

Try Googling Highland clearances.

Pretty sure that's not what is stopping Cala from building houses in upland grazing areas now. More like a lack of roads, electricity, treated water, that sort of thing.

masjer

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

All sheep farming should stop, freeing up the complete waste of land for something better--rewilding. Britain is in the lowest 10% in the world for biodiversity, so (as we're in a climate emergency) it's maybe time we did something radical.
Don't believe Countryfile, sheep are a biodiversity / climate disaster.

You do realise the most likely alternative will be housing and not rewilding?
Somewhat ironic given people were replaced by sheep.

Only 5-6% of the entire UK has been built on. If some of the sheep fields were used for housing, it would be a tiny percentage of that land. i.e still millions of hectares left for rewilding. A majority of sheep farming is in highland areas- perfect for rewilding, cr@p for housing.

Try Googling Highland clearances.

I think you are confusing the term highland areas (uplands) as the Scottish Highlands. Anyway, parts of the Scottish Highlands are being rewilded. I don't think anyone will move back there to return to crofting.

pinno

Rewilding and replacing habitat is one thing. Reducing pesticide/nitrate use is another.

surrey_commuter

tailwindhome said:

Americans don't really eat lamb.

I think that is because their mint sauce tastes like toothpaste

masjer

I bet it comes in a tube too.

pinno

masjer said:

I bet it comes in a tube too.

Oh you get cheese in tubes in Sweden. Some stuff called 'Kaviar', It's vile.

masjer

Mmm, I got a taste for the stuff.