RED tape in nightmarish proportions is taking "free" out of "land of the free".

Like all farmers, we received two large envelopes containing thick glossy handbooks with our Christmas post. One states that: this guide replaces the 2005 and 2006 Cross Compliance handbook and the 2006 and 2007 supplements. Requirements remain unchanged except those flagged up in the "what's new for 2008 section on the reverse of this page". So why on earth did they not send just one page?

In another handbook of the same ilk there is a picture of two round feeders, obviously standing on hard ground because there is very little mess around them, but the caption says: "unsuitable feeding on lowland grass ground". The picture also shows many acres of not very good ground. I would have thought that those two feeders were doing nothing but good.

We know a farm in Scotland where a flock of sheep is fed silage from ring feeders on a nice bit of hard ground, right in the middle of the farm - the only place really that the ring feeders could be put and the sheep supplement silage with grass from the surrounding fields. It is the only way they can be kept unless they were permanently housed.

While I can tell you that this farm is in Scotland, I will not say exactly where in case some busybody reads this and is intent on causing trouble. On the whole the "powers that be" in Scotland do seem to have more common sense than they do in England.

Because of the state of play in the sheep section of late, the Scots are receiving a ewe payment of £6 per head and £15 for any lambs they wish to dispose of. Surely English farmers should receive the same?

Jamie Olivers' Fowl Dinners television programme gave an excellent portrayal of all sides of the poultry industry, highlighting the major role played by the supermarkets in pressurising the production of cheap food.

Whether it will change the mindset of those addicted to cheap food remains to be seen, but I applaud Jamie for tackling the subject.

He obviously likes farmers and is doing a grand job in exposing the low prices paid by supermarkets for farm produce. Hopefully enough people will be willing to pay a little more for a better product to ensure that our poultry farmers stay in business, otherwise supermarkets will import chicken and eggs, which are raised to lower welfare standards than those adhered to in the UK.

If anyone out there would like to join us and meet like-minded people,'phone Ann Cross on 01398 361212.