Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?

For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.

- John Craven

A recent survey commissioned by the National Farmers Union (NFU) revealed that farmers are second only to nurses in public esteem. This may come as a shock because, over the years, so many of them have said to me that people outside farming just don't understand the stress they are under and the problems they face. But according to this survey, 74% of respondents have a favourable view of farmers and growers while 91% feel farming is important to the UK economy.

So, what do they make of that? "We're not surprised nurses came top of the list," says Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU. "But the fact we came second is fantastic and underlines a level of support which maybe farming hadn't recognised it can be a lonely job.