Poor rural connectivity puts livelihoods at risk, farmers warn
Poor broadband and mobile connectivity can have life-threatening consequences, members of the agricultural industry have warned.
Farmers have said that providers should face "severe penalties" for dropped calls and offer compensation when poor connectivity affects people's livelihoods, Cable.co.uk reported.
Research by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) found that only 15 per cent of farmers can get a reliable mobile signal across the whole farm, with only a quarter having access to 4G.
Suzanne Clear, the union's senior advisor on planning and rural affairs, warned that poor connectivity is having a direct impact on farmers, many of whom find it impossible to contact workers around the farm, conduct business online and use timesaving applications on the farm.
Gary Yeomans, a dairy farmer from Monmouthshire, agrees that providers should face penalties for offering a poor service. He said that despite being sent a signal booster by his internet provider, when it's windy the broadband connection is so weak that he can't even access emails.
With the internet playing an increasing role in the world of agriculture, more and more farmers are demanding superfast broadband, but are faced with cripplingly slow speeds.
Of the 850 farmers and growers surveyed by the NFU, 86 per cent agreed that broadband was essential to their business, but only 23 per cent believed their service was sufficient for their needs, with the majority receiving speeds of less than 2Mbps.
The NFU hopes the results of its survey will push providers to improve broadband access in rural areas, allowing agricultural workers to take advantage of superfast internet speeds.
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