NIGEL JOHNSON-HILL, PARK FARM, MILLAND, LIPHOOK GU30 7JT


Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Secretary of State.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR



16 July 2009



Dear Secretary of State,

My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for
£3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs.. I would
now like to join the "not rearing pigs" business.

In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and
which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I
approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated
by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy.

I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want
not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any
advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old
Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these?

As I see it, the hardest part of this programme will be keeping an accurate
record of how many pigs I haven't reared. Are there any Government
or Local Authority courses on this?

My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing pigs for
forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in
1968. That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearing
any.

If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing
100? I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself
down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mean about £240,000 for the
first year. As I become more expert in not rearing pigs, I plan to
be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my
second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 million from your
department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be eligible to receive
tradable carbon credits for all these pigs not producing harmful and
polluting methane gases?

Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tonnes
of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing
crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the
pigs I don't rear?

I am also considering the "not milking cows" business, so please send any
information you have on that too. Please could you also include the
current DEFRA advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce
basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand
hectares)?

In view of the above you will realise that I will be totally unemployed, and
will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits. I shall of
course be voting for your party at the next general election.


Yours faithfully,


Nigel Johnson-Hill