Farmers Guardian articles from April 2004

Farmers Guardian archives from April 2004

Bayer pull the plug on GM maize.
April 2, 2004... GENETICALLY modified crops still have a future in the UK, the biotech industry was insisting this week, despite the decision by Bayer CropScience to abandon plans to commercialise its Chardon LL maize. The decision to withdraw its...

Making cross-compliance rules work.
April 2, 2004... DEFRA must ensure its cross-compliance regulations are administered in a `joined up and efficient way' so farmers are not landed with a bureaucratic nightmare, the NFU's countryside adviser has warned. Andrew Clark believes the way the...

Border checks tightened.
April 2, 2004... THE European Union's border posts are to be strengthened to protect the EU from livestock diseases after 10 new states join in May. Vets from the EU 15 have been sent to manage new border posts which will prevent the new states being used as a...

Three-tier SFP decision wait.
April 2, 2004... FARMERS are unlikely to hear whether the Government has agreed to industry proposals to introduce a three-tier Single Farm Payment system in England until after Easter. Ministers had been keen to make an announcement before MPs began their...

Bayer move `a shame' but not surprising.
April 2, 2004... ALTHOUGH the decision by Bayer CropScience to drop their GM forage maize variety, Chardon LL, came as a disappointment to many this week, the NFU spokesman and SCIMAC chairman Bob Fiddaman was not totally surprised by the announcement. "It...

Fruit SFP blow.
April 2, 2004... THE Soil Association has written to Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty expressing concerns that orchards will not qualify for the Single Farm Payment. Head of agriculture Phil Stocker said this could have `huge implications' for top...

MP's dossier on supermarkets.
April 2, 2004... LIBERAL Democrat Shadow Defra Secretary Andrew George has urged farmers, producer groups and suppliers' organisations to write to him if they have any complaints of their treatment at the hands of supermarkets. Once he has enough evidence...

Euro row over live animal transport.
April 2, 2004... THE European Commission and Irish European Union presidency have come under fire over new proposals for maximum journey times for animal transport. This is a major issue for the Scottish islands and Ireland, but animal welfare campaigners...

BSE crisis - a thing of the past.
April 2, 2004... THE European Commission has confirmed the beef mountain and the European BSE crisis are officially a thing of the past. For the first time in many years there is not a single kilo of beef in intervention stores. This contrasts with the...

Movement restrictions lifted.
April 2, 2004... MOVEMENT restrictions on eight farms closed down because of a link with the brucellosis outbreak in South East Cornwall have been lifted after test results proved negative, Defra has confirmed. A specialist epidemiological team has been set...

Livestock charges delayed.
April 2, 2004... DEFRA is not yet in a position to introduce charges to livestock farmers for the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) in England, which were due to be imposed from yesterday. The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy announced a move towards greater...

Devolution changes welcomed.
April 2, 2004... SWEEPING changes proposed in Wednesday's independent Richard Commission Report looking at Welsh devolution have been broadly welcomed by the farming unions in Wales. In the main it calls for more primary powers to be transferred to the...

Bradshaw admits badger hotspot cull did eradicate TB.
April 2, 2004... ANIMAL Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has admitted culling badgers appeared to be the sole reason for the eradication of bovine tuberculosis from a hotspot area in a previous Government experiment. Mr Bradshaw's comments were described as...

Farmers facing financial ruin.
April 2, 2004... MANY farmers could be facing financial ruin as the Government continues to stall on a targeted badger cull to control the ever-spiralling levels of TB. In Devon this week, as Tony Yewdall saw 45 of his `unique' Guernsey cows being taken...

Policy to refuse cull licences.
April 2, 2004... IT is Government policy to refuse farmers the right granted under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to cull badgers to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, according to Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw. Defra is responsible for...

`Gangmaster regulations needed'.
April 2, 2004... RAIDS on gangmaster operations in East Anglia and Scotland, which resulted in more than 30 arrests, highlight the `pressing need' for a licensing and registration scheme to prevent unscrupulous operators exploiting workers, according to the...

BPC vehemently denies redating allegations.
April 2, 2004... THE British Poultry Council has `strongly refuted' claims that use-by dates on packs of chicken can be `meaningless' as processing plants could relabel them several times before they appear on supermarket shelves. The Food Standards Agency...

Diversification plans threat.
April 2, 2004... CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown's proposed new tax on landowners has been branded as a major threat to farm diversification plans. "His Budget proposals for a development gain tax (DGT) confirms the fact that the Government has not got a clue about...

`Shameless' use of procedures.
April 2, 2004... THE Government was accused of `shameless and despicable' use of Parliamentary procedures after it ruthlessly killed off a Bill controlling the release of genetically modified crops. The Private Members Bill proposed by Conservative MP...

Labelling threshold plea from organic producers.
April 2, 2004... ORGANIC groups have urged the European Commission not to adopt proposals for a 0.3-0.5 per cent labelling threshold for the presence of GM in non-GM seed. In a letter to the Commission, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture...

Three-month consultation period.
April 2, 2004... THE Government has launched a three-month consultation on new traceability and labelling rules for genetically modified products that come into force in just two weeks time. The consultation closes at the end of June, more than two months...

Revised contingency plans.
April 2, 2004... A revised version of Defra's Foot-and-Mouth Disease Contingency Plan and its Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Contingency Plan have been laid before Parliament this week. They set out the operational arrangements Defra intends to put...

Outdoor pig sector showcase.
April 2, 2004... BRITAIN'S burgeoning small scale outdoor pig sector will be showcased in a special new feature at this year's Royal Show, to be staged at the NAC, Stoneleigh, from July 4-7. Some 25 per cent of all pigs in Britain are already being kept...

Legislation: Are we going too far?
April 2, 2004... EGG production may be excluded from farming support mechanisms both past and future but it continues to suffer from at least the same level of bureaucracy as the rest of the industry. This is one reason why Cheshire producer Duncan...

Lowland farms and dairying suffer.
April 2, 2004... THE latest annual farm business survey in Wales - based on 2002-2003 returns - paints a depressing picture for lowland farms and dairying in particular. Carried out by the Aberystwyth-based Institute of Rural Sciences and funded by the...

Producers urged: Lobby to keep caged systems.
April 2, 2004... EGG producers will have to lobby hard against animal welfare protestors if they are to retain caged bird production systems after 2012, a senior civil servant has admitted. It was up to the industry to try to change public attitudes, said...

Warning of extra costs under energy saving rules.
April 2, 2004... THE eggs sector had some way to go before it became truly `energy efficient', said Andrew Kneeshaw, director of the Farm Energy Centre Services. This meant it faced the possibility of meeting extra costs under the Integrated Pollution...

School meals are getting beefier.
April 2, 2004... SCHOOL menus are getting beefier, according to figures released today by the English Beef and lamb Executive (EBLEX). In the past year the quantity of beef bought by local authorities has jumped by 10 per cent, states the Foodservice...

GOOCH'S VIEW: Think now before locking into the Single Payment.
April 2, 2004... Farmers need to think hard this summer before committing themselves to new farming arrangements in 2005. Depending on their retirement plans, form of tenancy agreement and cropping, some farmers will benefit by surrendering land while others...

OPINION: Make your minds up.
April 2, 2004... One minute we have them, the next we don't. What on earth is going on in the GM world? This week's decision by Bayer CropScience to `pull' its Chardon LL GM maize variety, after recently receiving the Government's blessing `in principal',...

Our most valuable by-product under threat.
April 2, 2004... Although many farmers and landowners have been consciously shaping the countryside over the generations, much of our landscape is simply a by- product of our farming practices. The new Single Farm Payment has decoupled payments from primary...

Heifer rearing conference.
April 2, 2004... The Holstein has tended to oust the more traditional dairy breeds and first calvings tend to be closer to two years. Herds are bigger, labour is reduced - and herd fertility has slipped. The University of Nottingham/Provimi heifer rearing...

The importance of adequate grazing.
April 2, 2004... BIG fit heifers can look good and might even give more milk in their first lactations, but they cost more to rear and by 34 months of age can have actually given less milk than their lighter contemporaries, according to Alistair Carson, who...

`Mortality rate is too high'.
April 2, 2004... TOO few people use colostrum for the valuable asset it is and ideally a small quantity (5 per cent of total milk volume) should be fed for the first three weeks of life, suggested Gloucestershire vet Roger Blowey. "Nationally we continue...

Fertility and the environment.
April 2, 2004... Research at the University of Nottingham's Agricultural and Environmental Sciences division has suggested that by restoring dairy cow fertility to pre-1995 levels, we could meet the Kyoto Agreement requirement for the UK greenhouse gases to be...

Key role of quality colostrum.
April 2, 2004... WHAT we know we should do and what we do are not necessarily the same thing when it comes to the rearing of baby calves - not least in the management and use of colostrum. "We do not do calves very well" claimed Jim Quigley, vice-president...

Big is not always for the better.
April 2, 2004... ACHIEVING a heifer's target weight at calving can have beneficial effects on subsequent performance - but only if the animal has the genetic potential to achieve that weight on a normal feeding regime. Enhanced feeding of heifers without...

Benefits to be made from more milk feed.
April 2, 2004... THERE could well be a case for allowing replacement heifer calves much greater access to milk in their early weeks when they can benefit from the increased protein intake. That was the message from Illinois University's professor of animal...

Check out impact of land use on the environment.
April 2, 2004... FARMERS and landowners are being reminded of the need to consider the environmental effects of bringing uncultivated land or semi-natural areas into intensive agricultural use. These areas can include some of England's rarest and most...

Championing farming's cause for 30 years.
April 2, 2004... After 30 years service with the NFU, well-known adviser Paul Cooper has decided to call it a day. DAVID BURROWS highlights his experience of the changes in the industry over the years. Following almost 30 years' service to the National...

History of local food production.
April 2, 2004... A #20,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will help fund research into the history of Hampshire's local food production in a project led by the county council. The project will investigate what was grown where and why, traditional...

Farming in sympathy with nature.
April 2, 2004... Farming in sympathy with nature makes economic sense as well as helping the environment, says Shropshire farmer Robert Kynaston, a LEAF farmer who hosted a farm open day. NEIL RYDER reports. WORKING as closely as possible with natural...

First major step for the biomass industry.
April 2, 2004... DRAX Power has begun trialling the use of short rotation willow coppice in a co-firing application at its North Yorkshire power station. The project finds an end use for the 1,500 harvested hectares of energy crops that were originally...

Biodiesel plant now under construction.
April 2, 2004... A MAJOR new #15m biodiesel plant at Newarthill, near Motherwell was given the official seal of approval as Jim Wallace, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning oversaw the beginning of construction on the world-first development. The...

It's not all good news.
April 2, 2004... UNFORTUNATELY it was not all good news for the UK biofuel industry this week, when it emerged that more than half of the UK's biodiesel is imported into the UK. The news was met with dismay by NFU Scotland who, together with other...

New Holland goes stepless.
April 2, 2004... STEPLESS transmission tractors are now available from New Holland in the form of the five-model TVT range. Keen-eyed enthusiasts will notice certain styling cues from the TSA models but a more prominent resemblance to the Case-IH CVX models...

Faster change over from grass crops to maize.
April 2, 2004... FASTER change over from grass crops to maize or wholecrop is possible with the Crop Pro Plus processor in the New Holland FX self-propelled foragers range. The processor unit, used for crushing the grains, has been tested for the past two...

Deutz-Fahr combines in Sampo joint venture.
April 2, 2004... THE future is looking bright for Deutz-Fahr combines with the extension of an agreement with Scandinavian manufacturer Sampo Rosenlew. A current agreement with AGCO sees Deutz-Fahr combines being produced at the Danish Randers plant, but...

Less silage spoilage at no extra cost with green colour wrap.
April 2, 2004... LESS silage spoilage at no extra cost are the perceived benefits of using green colour wrap for baled silage. "Green plastic has always had a #3 premium per roll over the more popular black film but we are now selling it at the same price as...

Direct drilling down to a T.
April 2, 2004... DIRECT drilling has had its problems but there are growers who believe it is the best way to establish a range of crops. Andrew and Angus Prescott have been looking for an alternative to their ploughing system and believe the New...

Pembrokeshire's early potatoes on target for May liftings.
April 2, 2004... PEMBROKESHIRE'S early potato crop is doing fine and looking on target for early May liftings - despite the rarity of March frosts and even snow. Significantly, though, the slide in plantings goes on, with around 650 acres having gone in...

Patience key as sugar beet drilling advances.
April 2, 2004... SUGAR beet drilling across the country has been progressing into what are some generally good seedbeds, in between the patchy showers of recent weeks. "Some growers have drilled up while others haven't even started as it is all down to...

ELS offers tremendous opportunities for growers.
April 2, 2004... THE introduction of the Entry Level Agri-environment Scheme (ELS) in 2005 will provide tremendous opportunities for the vast majority of English growers. But they must be seized carefully and flexibly with good planning and weed management if...

`Search for A2 strain must continue'.
April 2, 2004... SURVEYS of the blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans indicate that the A1 strain remains predominant in the UK but plant pathologists must continue to search for the A2 strain, according to a leading blight expert. In recent surveys the...

New fungicide guidelines for blight control.
April 2, 2004... THE Fungicide Resistance Action Group (FRAG UK) has issued new guidelines relating to the use of QOI group fungicides for control of potato blight. The number of applications of QOI fungicides that may be applied for late blight control...

Questions, not answers.
April 2, 2004... THE first independent blight fungicide trials to be carried out for over a decade produced more questions than answers last season. That is the view of ADAS blight specialist Nick Bradshaw, who draws attention to good performances, in terms...

All-round crop protection.
April 2, 2004... A NEW blight fungicide from Bayer CropScience combines protectant, translaminar and systemic activity for all-round crop protection during the rapid growth phase of potato crops. Consento is formulated as a suspension concentrate containing...

Greater role for variety choice in future.
April 2, 2004... VARIETY choice is set to play a far greater role in future disease management, especially in the light of septoria resistance to strobilurins, according to several leading agronomy experts. Dr David Ellerton has urged growers to adopt a...

Project to seek more septoria knowledge.
April 2, 2004... A NEW Government-sponsored LINK project, which gets underway later this year, will seek to help wheat breeders apply new knowledge about the genetics of resistance to septoria. Work on the IMPRESSIV (Improved resistance to septoria in...

Technical excellence certificate.
April 2, 2004... THE Pesticides Safety Directorate has recognised continuing technical excellence at Dalgety's Throws Farm Arable Development Centre by rewarding a `Certificate of Official Recognition of Efficacy Testing Facilities or Organisations' (ORETO)....

Crop Monitor initiative to continue.
April 2, 2004... THE Defra-backed Crop Monitor initiative for winter wheat crops, launched last season, is to continue during 2004. Project collaborators include the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), ADAS, The Arable Group (TAG), NIAB and the Association of...

Growers urged to increase early nitrogen rates.
April 2, 2004... CEREAL growers with second and subsequent wheats are being urged to boost early nitrogen applications and consider a soil-acting strobilurin at the T1 fungicide timing- to reduce the impact of take- all this year. According to Oxfordshire...

Future direction of this farmer to be decided at the ballot box.
April 2, 2004... Many farming businesses reach a crossroads over their future direction - but which way a West Wales family farm goes lies largely with the voters in this summer's local authority elections. BARRY ALSTON reports. There are two high-tech...

Politician, actor, speaker - as well as dairy farmer!
April 2, 2004... JOHN Davies has always had a flavour for politics. While still at school he stood as a candidate in a `mock' election - and won. Public speaking through the YFC movement added to his confidence, winning debating competitions three years in...

RURAL LIFE: The educating Philpots.
April 2, 2004... The `crown jewels theory' and a passion for old farm machinery has resulted in a farm education centre visited by more than 2,000 schoolchildren a year - and an on-farm craft village attracting thousands of visitors of all ages as well as...

The secret's out - book by farmer's wife set to be classic best seller.
April 2, 2004... A children's book written by a farmer's wife looks destined to be a best seller and a long-term classic. Charmian Hussey, who lives near Callington, Cornwall, wrote `The Valley of Secrets' inspired by the fantasies of her son when he was a...

Tree marks 75th anniversary.
April 2, 2004... PAST and present members of Withleigh Young Farmers' Club gathered at Knighthayes Court, Tiverton, Devon, to plant a tree to mark the club's 75th anniversary. Founder members Gladys Snell and Madge Southcott helped Sir Ian Armory, nephew...

Lincolnshire top members.
April 2, 2004... ANDREW Todd, former chairman of Horncastle YFC and currently chairman of East Midlands Area YFCs and Lincolnshire county vice-chairman has won the East Midlands senior member of the year title. Andrew, of Hallyards Farm, Bucknall, is a sales...

Laura is named member of the year in the East.
April 2, 2004... FARMER'S daughter Laura Neal is Eastern Area Young Farmers' member of the year. Laura, Ramsey YFC's programme secretary and vice-chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Federation, works in the travel industry. The junior Eastern...

WI to discuss ban on growing GM crops.
April 2, 2004... A resolution opposing the growing of genetically modified crops in the UK and calling on the Government to prohibit their cultivation is to be debated at the National Federation of Women's Institutes annual meeting in Sheffield, in June. It is...

Zoo trip is a drama winner.
April 2, 2004... WHITLEY Chapel YFC were the winners of the closely contested Northumberland round of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs drama competition at the Queen's Hall, Hexham. The club presented `Zoo - a trip to the zoo in reverse',...

Close call on quota.
April 2, 2004... STILL too close to call was the verdict most industry experts were delivering on the likelihood of milk production exceeding quota and triggering the highly punitive superlevy, as the milk year came to a close. Dairy farmers have been...

Foot in the door for speciality meats.
April 2, 2004... A FOOT in the door of the expanding cured pork and speciality meats market has been achieved by the ANM Group, one of the country's largest farmer-owned businesses, with its acquisition of Forres-based Highland Country Foods. The business...

A natural partnership.
April 2, 2004... FROM this week, Torrington-based farmers' co-operative, Definitely Devon, which sources its milk from farmers in North and Mid Devon, began supplying Plymouth and South West Co-op stores throughout the county with its `Definitely Devon' branded...

`Milestone' reached in achieving common goals in world agriculture.
April 2, 2004... Down under, an alliance is at work to break down what it believes the US and EU are clinging to: namely their subsidies and their domestic support. The New Zealand Farmers Weekly reports on the Cairns Group and G20 joining forces. A CAIRNS...

Alarm bells sound over decline in vet numbers.
April 2, 2004... BRITAIN'S veterinary profession is becoming increasingly concerned at the country's future ability to sustain a meaningful animal health and welfare strategy. This is down to a combination of a declining number of large animal veterinary...

Victories for Cropper and MacPherson.
April 2, 2004... TWO Open trials were held at Wennington, Lancashire, on Saturday, where Jim Cropper and Alf took the morning title and Raymond MacPherson and Roy 1 were the victors in the afternoon. The sizeable course with a fetch of more than 350 metres...

First win for `Novices'.
April 2, 2004... THE warmth of the applause as well as the warmth of the day will be long remembered by George Martin as it was announced that he, together with his Novice dog Flash, had won his first ever Open trial. Flash romped home by three points at the...

Demand for new inquiry.
April 2, 2004... A DEMAND for a new independent public inquiry into the last foot-and- mouth disease outbreak has come from the Farmers' Union of Wales amid claims that key information was withheld from a Government investigation. "The FUW has consistently...

Stoneleigh Park set to secure future as industry centrepoint.
April 2, 2004... ALREADY the home of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, appears intent on consolidating its position not only as the centre of Middle England, but of its agriculture and horticulture industries. The...

Agricultural society's missing charter found.
April 2, 2004... THE Royal Agricultural Society of England's Royal Charter, signed by Queen Victoria in 1840, which has been missing for 15 years, has been found in an under-stairs cupboard by an office worker. The document was found by Lorraine Trinder,...

Soil study digs up wealth of information.
April 2, 2004... A #5.85m study of the soil in the Cheviot Hills in the Scottish Borders, has finally come to an end producing a huge wealth of new information for scientists. "I suspect we know more about the biodiversity of this one field at Sourhope...

`Wising up' to the threat of disease.
April 2, 2004... FARMERS must wise up to the threat a wide range of animal diseases pose to their livelihoods. That, in short, is the valedictory message from Alastair Grieg, who is shortly to retire as head of veterinary services with the Scottish Agricultural...

The balloon technique.
April 2, 2004... MODERN technology and innovative research and development have led to the creation of a new AI technique in Britain - using a small rubber balloon. Operating on the same principle as many other types of catheter, the device inserts the...