A need for ‘can do’ people

SIR, – Once again we are being told what we ‘must do’ as farmers and once again the same outcome will occur.  
Farmers are to receive £32 per calf with the Beef Efficiency Scheme payment – and so, supermarkets read this and decide to pay the abattoir £32 less per carcase; the abattoir pays beef finishers £32 less per animal; then beef finishers pay suckler calf producers £32 less per calf.  
Suckled calf producers will claim £32 per calf from the BES scheme because the ‘must do’ people told us it ‘must be’ a good idea! Where have we all got to?
Well, now we all know what mood Daisy and Buttercup were in the morning they were calved!
People may say that this is very pessimistic ... we wouldn’t get anywhere if we all thought like that. 
But I’m just waiting for someone to tell me that this won’t happen and that it hasn’t happened in the past with other ‘production cost savings’ farmers have made over the years in their businesses, only for that money to have been stripped out of the system by the above or similar foul means.  
As far as I know, the last recent supermarket price war took £millions out of the supply chain to these supermarkets. Then, after everyone is receiving less for their goods (supermarkets included), the supermarkets will need a bigger turnover to reach their required profit level, then more price cuts!
Surprise, surprise, that is what really happens when you lower your sales price, you have to sell more of it (primary school lesson).  
I know this is a system that should benefit the shopper, but as far as I can see, from the supermarkets down, we are all digging in the same hole and getting further away from reality. 
I will only join the BES scheme if, in the end, we are all blackmailed to join, ie QMS telling us we ‘must be’ in the scheme or we cannot sell our cattle ‘assured’; or by the government telling us we ‘must be’ in the scheme or they may withhold future farm payments from our businesses. 
I believe that is what the ‘must do’s’ mean when they say we ‘must do’ something to make the scheme more attractive to farmers!
Funny thing is, I think the future of farming looks good. Firstly, because of the ‘must do’ people making such a complicated mess of a once well populated way of life and, secondly, through the producers/manufacturers finding it virtually impossible to produce products in an ever downward spiral of lower prices.  
It will lead to food shortages worldwide which, in turn, will finally lead to the desired price rises needed to keep production flowing.  
Supermarkets work on a failing system. One that pays everyone less so that they will have to produce more. Strange how that doesn’t happen at the top of these big companies!
Every country all over the world has its ‘must do’ people who ‘must be’ in the middle of everything, telling us what we ‘must do’. I would say ‘they must have a go’ at farming themselves! 
And then there is the ‘Can’t do’ people telling us what we ‘Can’t do’. I could go on! 
Are there any ‘Can do’ people out there to say, yes you ‘Can do’ that?’ 
Keep up the good work at The Scottish Farmer – thankfully, we still have freedom of speech.