The latest idea emanating from the corridors of power in Whitehall is the introduction of a "licence to farm". Under proposals being considered by UK government officials and advisers, Britain's farmers might need this "licence" or risk being struck off a new national register, if they fail to prove their competence to raise livestock or grow crops. Also mooted was the compilation of a new "Domesday Book" of farmland, which still occupies three quarters of the UK land mass. This may include maps of fields and livestock units, as well as details on animal numbers and humans working with them.
