2013. Farming and Society
1st January 2013
In the past, farming’s role in society was clearly understood and appreciated. It would never have occurred to ask: ‘what is the value of farming?’. By the 1970s and 1980s, however, as the full effects of post-war agricultural intensification emerged, public attitudes to farming became increasingly determined by its impacts on the environment, animal welfare, the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget and food surpluses. As a result, farmers felt increasingly marginalised.