Mood dampened by heavy rain, low sales and basic payment’s failure to land on time

Call it the Basic Payment Scheme, call it the Single Payment Scheme — call it what you like — but there hasn’t been sight nor sound of the thing on this farm as Wednesday, November 11, dawns.

And while farmers all around might be celebrating and partying till the early hours on the strength of it, here on this farm I’m surviving on emergency rations.

The payment scheme might have a new name, but it has hung onto that great old tradition of leaving some farmers suffering on the side lines.