The seasonal sentiment of “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to men” seems to be in rather short supply this year. With unbelievably warm weather throughout November and the beginning of December, plus the increasing worries and concerns affecting all our daily lives, it has been hard to summon up a bit of enthusiasm for the annual Christmas celebrations.

For many people, their concerns have been particularly focused on the rising costs of food and fuel, and these worries have not been limited to private individuals, but are having a devastating effect on businesses large and small, too.

Livestock farms have been particularly hard hit as shortages of grain, hay and silage have pushed up the cost of animal feed to a record high and, like everyone else, the knock-on effect of increased electricity prices, especially for dairy farmers who are large consumers of electric, has been significant.

However, my greatest concerns this year has been for the poultry producers who have been hard-hit by the Avian Flu epidemic that has been wiping out poultry flocks across the country. With constant reports appearing on television warning of a shortage of turkeys for Christmas, it has become clear that the situation is extremely serious.

Poultry flock owners are working hard to ensure that their bio-security is firmly in place, but there is little that they can do as the illness races through the wild bird population, meaning that there is still a risk of infection being introduced unwittingly.

To minimize this, all domestic birds must now be housed in an effort to keep them safe. Whilst it is a very worrying time for egg and broiler production, the situation must be a total nightmare for turkey producers whose livestock is at constant risk just at the time of year when they reap their annual harvest by supplying turkeys for Christmas.

It has taken mother nature to remind us that Christmas is nigh, and that life is not all gloom and doom. The recent arrival of snow has made the countryside look beautiful, all clothed in white.

The berries in the hedgerows, and the red fruits on the crab apple trees in the garden all invoke the spirit of Christmas, and suddenly life begins to feel a whole lot better. Christmas IS coming!

I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas.