Ann Marie Gibson

Staffordshire girl in West Essex. Farm consultant, passionate about all things farming, the countryside & local food. Devotee of tweed.

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

Tweedledee currently pondering if spaniels are considered far right when enjoying everything our local village pub has to offer or if its just a black lab specific activity....

[Matthew Blair @ThrimbyFarms]

Please listen, my take on SFI.

This is not my usual happy, positive farming video. This is reality. I’ve said that as farmers we must share the good, the bad and the ugly. This is bad and ugly. Stakeholders, government body’s from both sides of the house should hand their heads in shame as to the shit show farming is becoming. People WILL go out of business over this. Our colleagues will suffer and fall because of this. If your mate calls you to chat, pick the phone up no matter what you’re doing and just chat. Remember about all the good farming charity’s out there. FCN, RABI to name a few.
Please share with MPs and associates. Please also speak up

[Katie Hopkins @KTHopkins]

Arresting the grafters who feed us.

Well done to all our amazing farmers out protesting this sick government across the country. Proper men & women.

And well done to this lovely man.

[email protected] if I can do anything

[Robbie Moore MP @_RobbieMoore]

Good riddance.

It was clear from day one that Steve Reed - who represents one of the most urban areas in the country - was installed by the Prime Minister to jump-start Labour’s vindictive attack on our farmers and the countryside.

He failed our farming community and completely shredded any sense of trust - something that will take years to repair.

Many will be thinking that things can only get better for our farmers - but having had a taste of “Phase 2” of this government already, my fear is things are going to get much worse.

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

@SteveReedMP Good lord! Nature doesn't repair itself magically following a year of a different govt - this has taken years of dedication and hard work to achieve. Let's look again in two years after your deputy prime minister has built millions of houses and we have solar panels everywhere..

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

Good lord, now I really don't like #Trump for the horrid individual he is - however just this once, I will commend him for standing up for farmers... and making @Keir_Starmer look completely uncomfortable.... #FamilyFarmTax

[National Farmers' Union @NFUtweets]

At today's press conference, @beverleyturner asked President Trump how important farmers were to him amid the backdrop of the UK changes to inheritance taxes.

Thank you for backing your farmers, Mr President. We need our government to do the same and #StopTheFamilyFarmTax.

Watch full clip from 1:08:35👉https://t.co/qOOTbqOqew

[National Farmers' Union @NFUtweets]

At today's press conference, @beverleyturner asked President Trump how important farmers were to him amid the backdrop of the UK changes to inheritance taxes.

Thank you for backing your farmers, Mr President. We need our government to do the same and #StopTheFamilyFarmTax.

Watch full clip from 1:08:35👉https://t.co/qOOTbqOqew

[Andrew Meredith @Merry_Meredith]

BREAK: Rachel Reeves gives Defra £2.7bn for sustainable farming and nature recovery for the final three years of this parliament

[Stuart @StuartMaggs]

DEFRA budget to reduce by 2.3% per annum from 2025/26 to 28/29 in real terms.

https://t.co/DE0z7GNc1A

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

@BBCNews please stop scaremongering and let the public go to their local @OpenFarmSunday to learn the great work farmers are doing to produce healthy and sustainable food. Insinuating that nearly 200k people are in danger is quite frankly dangerous. These were isolated cases!

[BBC News (UK) @BBCNews]

Farm day visitors warned over Cryptosporidium parasite threat https://t.co/EGo5bnI6S8

[National Farmers' Union @NFUtweets]

NFU members | Trump’s tariffs and trade deals, the closure of SFI and the long shadow of the family farm tax have dominated the farming agenda but there is plenty more at stake.

Here are six pieces of legislation farmers need to know about👉https://t.co/9rs8oCUPsO

[Geoff Sansome @HawfordFarm]

#Food and #Farming report 2002 led by Don Curry. What’s changed? Essential reading for those thinking of redesigning #SFI

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

Reason 164829 why I love my job #essexasitreallyis

[Stuart @StuartMaggs]

In Parliament yesterday, @DanielZeichner confirmed that he has known about this cliff edge for 5 years, and waved away criticism that closing the SFI scheme should be considered a sudden move.

If we take him at his word, then this means in the 8 months since he assumed office he has deliberately done nothing about this issue. He has allowed farmers to put in a huge amount of effort and money preparing for SFI applications, knowing that some of them won't make it. He felt it was more important to avoid a rush of applications than to warn people, say in October last year, that applications would be cut off.

It means he has been having review meetings on the issue, where they decide not to close the scheme as it approaches 70%, 80%, 90% of capacity, while his team prepared changes to the website so it could be shut on a moment's notice. It meant the system had been promising to give six week's notice to applicants before closure knowing that was false.

Rather than the SFI debacle being a badly managed mess, it suggests deliberate cruelty. What sort of person keeps encouraging people to get into line for environmental projects knowing he is going to slam the door in their face? If the sudden closure of the scheme was "working as intended", what does that say about their regard for farmers?

An alternative version would be that @SteveReedMP sent him to Parliament yesterday to try to obfuscate his way through this mess, and no-one thought through the implications of his position statement.

Which do you think is right?

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

If you listen to just one thing about how the awful decisions @DefraGovUK @Ruralpay and @UKLabour are making about our livelihoods and way of life, this is it.

[Farmer Tom 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 @Farmer_Tom_UK]

“If you care, care now, not ten years in the future when it’s all gone. We need your support now”.

Making no apologies for how cutting and clear my commentary is. @DefraGovUK @SteveReedMP @RachelReevesMP @Keir_Starmer do the right thing. You are ruining our country.

[Victoria Atkins @VictoriaAtkins]

Where's City Steve 🔍

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

@BenW360Rural @ProagriLtd @bleating_lamb @FWphilclarke @NFUtweets @CLAtweets They've also removed something else....

[Kate Speke-Adams @HfdshireKate]

The irony of this screen still showing on @Ruralpay this evening… 😠
Not 6 weeks, not 6 days, not even 6 hours notice given. Farmers have been terribly let down @DefraGovUK #SFI

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

Let's not forget @DefraGovUK many businesses rely on farmers and will be harmed by @UKLabour continuous anti farmer bombshells - feed merchants, consultants, farm shops, ag machinery dealers, butchers, abattoirs, supermarkets and many more will all be hit - #nofarmersnofood

[Ann Marie Gibson @farmingnotes]

It seems that the off switch was flicked immediately after the announcement as well - as all you got straight away were error messages... at least with the 23 to 24 scheme transition we got warning to submit what was started

[Tim Farron @timfarron]

Just to clarify: Defra closed SFI to new applicants at 6pm today with zero warning or consultation. The Sec of State was in my constituency on Monday posing for photos. He won’t dare come back now. This is a disgraceful attack on our poorest farmers in our most beautiful places.