[MAK]

Just read the full survey.
Surveys are difficult to construct and methods of analysis that will answer a research question should be tested before the survey is tested on a small sample population.
I agree that most surveys do require a certain ammount of endurance to complete but this survey is generally easy to complete and I hope that it helps the researchers answer their question. I do hope that the researchers will share the data though and not keep it to themselves as suggested in their text.
I did not submit my response as I do not live in England.

[Dan]

I filled it in, does that mean it will be discarded, never saw that.

How did you select your postcode? I started to fill it in then realised it was England only when I couldn't find my postcode, and actually read the post. 

[Rosemary]

I think the danger is that there is now a distinct difference seen between "smallholders" and "farmers". Isn't a smallholding just a small farm? This means that smallholders who are trying to run a serious business don't get taken seriously because the powers that be think they are just hobbyists or part timers or people who keep farm animals as pets. This needs to change.

I absolutely agree. At the risk of alienating anyone, because there is no definition of smallholders (as opposed to crofters), smallholding is taken to include folk with two ponies and two sheep, a big garden, some pet hens or pigs and those trying to produce food from a small acreage.

Crofters take themselves very seriously indeed, and so does the law and the Scottish Government. Smallholders are not taken seriously - partly because we don't take ourselves seriously (in general) and we don't organise. If the government wanted to consult smallholders, who would it consult? There is no national body that represents us.

On my list for the winter months, is some research into crofting and smallholding - a "compare and contrast" if you like.

I read in the last edition of "The Crofter" that the turning point was when the SCF could levy enough membership fee to appoint a worker, rather than relying on volunteers. A thought, perhaps.

[hughesy]

I'm not the sort of person who joins societies or associations really but I do think that something needs to be set up to represent the views of serious smallholders. I mean those of us who are actually trying to make a living or exist off the fruits of their labour.Not sure how it could work though because there are far more of the two ponies and a sheep types out there and they'd all want to join so it would end up representing the very thing that we need to differentiate from. Rant over. Sorry

[hughesy]

I've now had a look at the survey and some of the questions are just plain ridiculous. What are they going to do if someone answers that they are in fact acting illegally?

[Bodger]

and don't forget the saying " That a farmers worst enemy is another farmer "
 
PS. I apologise for being a bit of a grumpy git today, I've had to go for an emergency dental appointment. I'd have been better off going to the vets.
 
Hey Hughsey you were posting while I was posting. That's why I jacked it in when I got to page 13. Do I feed my pigs gravy? Gravy?  ,  Mrs's Bodgers gravy is awful, I wouldn't feed it to pigs.

[hughesy]

Do I feed my pigs gravy? Gravy?  ,  Mrs's Bodgers gravy is awful, I wouldn't feed it to pigs.

Hehehe couldn't feed my missus's gravy either the pigs couldn't cut it into small enough chunks to eat

[rispainfarm]

Thought you weren't your usual pleasant self Bodger, hope you feel ok. I was probably being the blonde today Dan,  :-[as it said pick your postcode or partial postcode from the list, so I picked E for Edinburgh as mine is EH. 

[jimmy]

I've now had a look at the survey and some of the questions are just plain ridiculous. What are they going to do if someone answers that they are in fact acting illegally?

Probably the same as if you say you sometimes drive 80mph on the motorway. Nothing.

[Sudanpan]

I filled it in and was faintly amused at the feeding and movement questions.....! Unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few people answer those questions in a way which shows that they are acting illegally.


As for it taking about half an hour to complete - blimey what audience do they think they are dealing with, really??? It took 5 mins

[Polished Arrow]

It depends on where the information is going and what it is used for, as I said if it goes to Defra, might be useful if we all fill it out. As you say Benkt, it only take five minutes or so.

+1  I've filled it in, anyway.  I have nothing to hide.

[AndynJ]

We have a guy down the road who has 3 horses on 2 acres, no shelter for them at all, the one field is bare, in the summer he had 2 lambs even in the summer he had no grass left so he put them on someone else's ground he couldn't catch them and he was scared of handling them, he came and asked me for help, so off they went anyway one died, so again a call, I went over "whats the problem" it stinks I can't move that  arrived they hadn't been sheared or clipped so probably heat stroke, so I brought the lamb upto the gate and gave him the number for the dead man (what are they called) I said you need to get the other one off to butcher now, otherwise it'll be dead as well. next day a call this guy is at work and he isn't allowed to leave  "then don't have sheep"  his other sheep has got out and is on someone else's land so I go up and catch it lift it over his fence and put it in with his horses, that was 2 months back, I got a call back last week "we have had to shoot the lamb as it had maggots"  he has 10 - 15 hens with about 6- 8 cocks his hens are in a mess it's not a nice environment so he said "can you come over and sort my cockerels out  My reply was pull the neck cook & feed to the dog "I don't think I can do that"  I don't understand why people have animals then expect them to look after themselves, oh and it turns out instead of paying dead man Pete he cut the ear tags off the 1st lamb and through it over someones hedge  so its people like that that need sorting out, at market every month their are people paying top money for hens and I ask them why they saw such value in them "oh well the fox had ours so we just needed hens" "3rd time this year"  well whilst they can't be bothered to learn I'll be making a profit, I lost 2 hens to a fox about 15 years ago, I still feel bad as it was my fault for not securing them correctly. quick survey 1. would you report the horse/lamb guy & to whom 2. if you saw a badger by your hen house would you shoot it ?

[Tamsaddle]

What on earth are they going to do with such an idiotic collection of data they have asked for?  Is anyone daft enough to admit in writing, even if it is anonymous, that they break any of the well known rules that apply to pigs, ie. what they can and can't be fed, movement licences, standstill times etc.   What a complete waste of time and research money.    They probably won't get a 'random sample' of pig keepers anyway, as those with complete disregard for the rules and their animals' welfare, as in the previous post from AndynJ, will be very unlikely to fill it in in the first place.

[rispainfarm]

I wonder what they are doing it for, what are they trying to find out.

[Ina]

I wonder what they are doing it for, what are they trying to find out.

That's the first thing they should have told us in their post = not just saying we want to know...

I'm currently back at uni (yeah, yeah, rather mature student) and doing a postgrad course in social research methods - which basically is all about how to collect data and what to do with them - including how to write a decent questionnaire and how to engage people in taking part in research! It's always annoyed me how many scientists are let loose on the public, asking useless questions, and wasting (mostly our tax payers') money... Knowing how much good could come out of decently conducted surveys, I'm generally very willing to take part - provided they tell me what it is about, and I see sense in it. In this case, fortunately, I wasn't one of those they want to hear from.