t has been remiss of me lately not to mention any dialect words.

I'll put that right with the word "CLUNTER" which means to "trip up" and is thought to have its origin in the Netherlands.

I well remember one threshing day when a lad was carrying a bag of chaff on his back across a cobbled yard when he tripped and fell on the cobbles.

His brother, following behind, promptly fell on top of him saying: "Blast thy cluntering," so the first brother got no sympathy whatsoever.

I mentioned last time that Tony Blair had appointed his friend Lord Haskins as supremo of Cumbria.

From his lofty position as Chairman of Northern Foods he makes no secret of his long held belief that half the farmers will disappear within the next 20 years, saying that farms getting bigger will be a good thing.

If and when I get to talk to him, I'll be telling him that the largest dairy farmer in the country, who was milking 3,000 cows, gave up the job earlier in the year after losing £ 100,000.

So big is not always beautiful.

The nation has always got value for money from its family farmers and it is my belief that the United Kingdom would be a poorer place without them.

Lord Haskins said: "They have been subsidised for too long." Do you suppose it has ever crossed his mind that, if instead of only 9p in every pound the consumer spends goes to the producer (in this case the farmer) that if a modest 20p went to the him then subsidies in the main could be diverted to other things.

You bet he hasn't, for th

at could mean that greedy supermarkets might not turn in the colossal profits they have been doing lately.

I hope Lord Haskins will come up trumps for all businesses in Cumbria.

Almost all countries subsidise their agriculture to a greater or lesser extent although, of course, some call them "distressed area payments." Perhaps I may get to argue that one with the good Lord some time.

There is more.

I have been told that Lord Haskins has been advising the government policy.

Now these last few years farming has been going through a dreadful time.

Who was it who was advising the government? I'm saying nowt.

But if there is a vacancy I'm very cheap.

What is the betting that before the Prime Minister left for his holiday he instructed his people to get the reports that " foot-and-mouth is still rumbling on with still more killing," out of the press and replace it with something else, perhaps blaming farmers.

The "diabolical cost" as it was called of Cleansing and Disinfecting has proved to be untrue as far as farmers are concerned.

Do you think there will be any apology? Don't hold you breath.

I had already written last week's article before the headlines about farmers being blamed over compensation as I have explained before, it is payment for the compulsory purchase of your animals so they can be shot; not for loss of business or anything else.

Three pedigree breeders were named in the press as receiving £1 million plus.

I know them all and they are among the very top breeders in the kingdom.

In fact, they are arguably among the world's top stockmen.

To say they have become foot-and-mouth Millionaires is an insult.

They were worth that sort of money before, not counting land value, the only difference being their equity was walking about on four legs.

Now they have been shot and disposed of, a lifetime's work and all the skill and knowledge of breeding and building up those herds has gone.

Some people were aghast that a cow had been valued at £15,000, but I happen to know that one of those breeders once sold a cow for £32,000, partly on appearance but mainly on its breeding bloodlines.

It woul

d do all those who were wagging their fingers good to understand the cost of building up these top quality herds, to say nothing of the trauma of losing them.

Thought for the day: I understand that the cost of Cleansing and Disinfecting is the same as the cost of the Millennium Dome.

Tony Blair was talking about value for money wasn't he?