Robert Seago writes

This is the great worry. I suspect that after transport and other
overheads, a farm business in Poland or Rumania, would easily outcompete
what could be achieved here.

Perhaps, but if they are in the EC and following EC rules they should be
shackled with the same regulations. They have much lower labour costs
(at the moment) but probably don't have the 30 years of investment. Even
in arable systems many things are very long term investments. Our 'old'
drier (installed 1956, since sold) is still in heavy use every harvest
by our neighbour.

If the rest of the world was really allowed
to compete on an equal footing, there would be many people willing to be
delighted with a fraction of the earnings of a farmer here who could
legitimately regard himself as teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Oh, that would be very good news. No concealed or express subsidies
WORLDWIDE and grain/milk production would plummet and world prices
rocket up. In north western europe we get very high grain yields which
compensates for our higher costs when the playing field is level. Even
so perhaps 20-30% of arable land would not be cropped.

This scenario has been experienced by manufacturing, with profound results.

Indeed.

I'm not sure that a massive intensification here in agriculture could
reduce costs enough to compete on the world market.

See above.

--
Oz