Save The Acre

Did you know that in 2010 the acre as a unit of land measure is to be replaced by the hectare? I hardly need say that this is the result of an EU directive, with very little opposition from any of the groups which exist to protect our heritage. Land in this country has been measured in acres since at least the 13th century. It was calculated originally as the area which one man driving a plough pulled by one ox could expect to plough in a day. The word "acre" means "open field" in old English and an acre is a furlong (i.e. one furrow long) by a chain (22 yards). We have saved the pint, the pound and the mile from the Brussels dictators, surely we can also save the acre?