“I planted 21 acres in 2004 and I would be quite happy with my decision. The reason I planted was because I was dealing with bad land and it was too much work for no income. Some places might only need two days to dry land out but around here you’d need two months.

“I know trees tend to darken up some places but when the forestry is mature it looks lovely, and trying to farm bad land is a waste of time. Once you plant, the land is gone forever but it’s a sin to plant good land. “I can only see one of my children doing some part-time farming in the future.

“The hen harrier is a big thing around here and a lot of farmers would want to create a bit of pension for themselves but now they’re not allowed to plant.”