Chapter Fifteen
'I RANG THE MINISTRY,' said Llewellyn, later that day, when Rafferty had returned to the office. 'And according to the chap I spoke to, the Set Aside regulations can be abused. Farmers are supposed to leave fields fallow on a rotation basis, but some set aside their least fertile land permanently—land that would be unproductive and unlikely to be used for crops anyway.'
'And were you able to find out if friend Thomson claims this compensation?'
Llewellyn nodded. 'The chap at the Ministry checked and got back to me just before you returned. Thomson's received compensation since the regulations were implemented. And, according to one of his neighbours, it's for the same piece of land—Tiffey Meadow. He boasts about it, apparently.'
'I bet it amused him to make an issue out
