Farmers Guardian articles from April 2005

Farmers Guardian archives from April 2005

Bradshaw asks union for TB plan.
April 1, 2005... THE National Farmers' Union has been asked to come up with a proposal for controlling TB in wildlife to present to Government Ministers. The request from Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw appears to be a sign that they might be prepared...

Reduction in the use of growth promoters.
April 1, 2005... THERE has been a `significant and sustained' reduction in the use of antibiotic growth promoting products in the UK. Revised figures, issued by the Government, indicate that UK sales of antimicrobial growth promoters have fallen from 141...

Peers attack TB strategy and call for a badger cull.
April 1, 2005... PEERS lined up in the House of Lords to attack the Government's GB TB strategy and call for a badger cull. The debate was organised by the Countess of Mar, who asked if the Government would reconsider its policy on TB in the light of...

`Give us back our cash' demand over fallen stock delays.
April 1, 2005... `GIVE us back our cash', angry farmers in Wales demanded this week as the National Fallen Stock Scheme continued to cause major on-farm non- collection problems. Following on from last week's Farmers Guardian revelation that some dead...

SFP Wales application.
April 1, 2005... THE second application period for the 2005 Single Farm Payment Scheme National Reserve opened in Wales yesterday. Farmers eligible to apply are: * Dairy farmers who, due to exceptional circumstances, leased out milk quota in 2004. ...

Defra help offer over ELS scheme delays.
April 1, 2005... DEFRA has promised to `do its best' to help farmers whose Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) scheme applications are delayed because of problems in registering land get on to the scheme by August 1. The deadline for applications to start...

NFU puts green issues at top of its agenda.
April 1, 2005... FARMERS are being urged to spread the good news about the positive contribution they are making towards a greener, cleaner environment. On Tuesday, Tim Bennett launched the NFU's `Making Green Ground' campaign, a long-term initiative...

Government policy aims to encourage fuel-friendly farming.
April 1, 2005... GOVERNMENT policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions will encourage farmers to cut down on high fuel consuming farming activities. Speaking at the launch of the Rural Climate Change Forum, Environment Minister Elliot Morley said, however,...

Beef passport amnesty.
April 1, 2005... English beef producers have been given an amnesty, ahead of the EU Food and Veterinary office inspection in June, to return any outstanding passports from dead animals. BCMS have said that no action will be taken against farmers returning...

Waste control plans call for a shared responsibility.
April 1, 2005... THERE are a number of `significant' challenges to be faced by farmers and growers under the Government's proposals to introduce waste controls to agriculture. The proposals include a ban on the burying of waste without a landfill permit...

Lobbying pays off.
April 1, 2005... DEFRA has agreed to broaden the timeframe and range of non-agricultural activities on farmland during the 10-month qualifying period for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). Responding to the move, the NFU said the original proposal, which...

New grants.
April 1, 2005... NEW grants totalling more than #300,000 have been awarded from a British Pig Executive (BPEX) scheme to pig producers who want to add value, or improve co-operation with partners in the food supply chain. All the projects have to include at...

Pig research.
April 1, 2005... EFFECTIVE research, development and knowledge transfer will help the British pig industry become more competitive and deliver benefits to society. That is the central message in the draft research and development strategy launched by the...

Guidance booklet on the SPS.
April 1, 2005... WITH the May 16 deadline for completion of the Single Payment Scheme applications fast approaching, the NFU has put out `second-to-none' guidance for its members. As part of its overall membership support on the SPS, the NFU has mailed a...

Brucellosis outbreak.
April 1, 2005... A BAN on cattle movements has been imposed on a Derbyshire farm after tests indicated a possible brucellosis outbreak. Defra imposed the restriction when a routine test on milk samples and a herd blood test revealed four animals with a...

LibDems to target supermarket power.
April 1, 2005... CURBING the power of supermarkets and speeding up CAP reform are two of the main issues highlighted by the Liberal Democrats in their manifesto on rural affairs. "Farming remains at the heart of the rural economy and rural life. That is...

MPs call for better food co-ordination.
April 1, 2005... A report from the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has suggested that a single Government department, taking a more co- ordinated `cross-party' aproach, should be set up to address deficiencies in the provision of food...

Agriculture awards almost at #17m.
April 1, 2005... GRANTS worth #1m have been awarded to the livestock and dairy sector, Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty has announced. The Agriculture Development Scheme funds projects designed to help farmers and primary producers in England become...

Report paints gloomy picture as farmers' share of food prices declines.
April 1, 2005... Defra's comprehensive Agriculture in the UK 2004 report reveals just how much farmers' share of the retail price has fallen since the late 1980s. But it does predict more profitable times ahead. ALISTAIR DRIVER reports. FARMERS' share of...

Report cautiously predicts income rise.
April 1, 2005... FARM incomes are forecast to rise again in 2005 and 2006 thanks to an expected fall in fuel prices, following last year's unwelcome dip. Total income from farming fell by 8.1 per cent in real terms to #3 billion in 2004, with average...

NUTHALL'S VIEW: WTO's international food tariff sums don't add up.
April 1, 2005... EVERY vegetable farmer knows that planting methods are crucial to the success of a crop: spacing seeds, nurturing them with water and feed, protecting them from pests. Well, this is a good analogy for the current state of the World Trade...

OPINION: Room for optimism?
April 1, 2005... Defra's annually published 150-page document `Agriculture in the UK 2004' predicts more profitable times ahead for UK farmers following the overall dip in farming incomes in 2004. It (Defra) predicts a recovery in 2005 and 2006 `on the...

Little Red Tractor has huge potential.
April 1, 2005... OVER the last five years, the Red Tractor logo has established itself as a hallmark of British food, writes Bev Wilson, the new head of marketing for Assured Food Standards (AFS). Signifying conscientious production via a rigid set of...

BRITISH FARM STANDARD: What consumers think.
April 1, 2005... The Little Red Tractor logo is about to be revamped and the newly launched `Beefy' aand `Lamby' advertisements to promote the new EBLEX quality standard marks are now in full swing. But what do consumers really think of them and are they...

Herd quality shows through.
April 1, 2005... In two weeks time competitors from around the country will gather at the National Holstein Show on the Staffordshire County Showground. Among them will be Steve and Pat Hill, who together with their two teenage children Tom and Lucy, run the...

4X4 ROUND-UP: Volvo shaking off its boxy image with the agile V50.
April 1, 2005... TEST REPORT BY GEOFF ASHCROFT VOLVO, it seems, is continuing to confidently shake off its boxy image and the new V50 is no exception. A rounded rear-end and smoothly sculpted frontal area give a stylish, versatile load-lugger that has...

4X4 ROUND-UP: FIRST DIESEL FROM LEXUS.
April 1, 2005... JAPANESE luxury car brand Lexus has developed its first ever diesel engine and it is heading for the new generation 2005-model IS. The four-cylinder all-aluminium diesel engine is claimed to be the most powerful in its class and meets the...

4X4 ROUND-UP: BMW WITH A BIGGER PUNCH.
April 1, 2005... THE diesel 5-series BMW has always packed a considerable punch, but the latest 535d - with twin turbochargers - pushes diesel performance to a new level. Available in saloon or touring models, the car delivers 272hp and 560Nm of torque...

4X4 ROUND-UP: V6 3.2 DIESEL MERCEDES.
April 1, 2005... DIESEL technology continues to thunder along at Mercedes, and the firm's recent batch of CDI engines proves the point. A V6 3.2 litre diesel now replaces the firm's in-line six of the same capacity, allowing the shorter engine to be fitted into...

4X4 ROUND-UP: SPECIAL EDITION JEEP CHEROKEE RENEGADE.
April 1, 2005... CHRYSLER JEEP is to bring 250 special edition Jeep Cherokee Renegade models into the UK, equipped with the new 161hp, 2.8 litre CRD variable geometry turbo diesel engine. As part of the Renegade's external look is a flatter bonnet and...

AUCTION PROFILES 2005: Wigton market.
April 1, 2005... WIGTON market in Cumbria is an auction centre that manages to maintain high throughputs of cattle in the face of fierce competition from some of country's major auctions. Ben Briggs reports. IN Cumbria livestock dominates the farming...

Mixed farming is order of the day for Strathmore.
April 1, 2005... Mixed farming taking in arable, pigs, sheep and beef production is the order of the day for The Strathmore Farming Company and its director, David Soutar, a finalist in the Yara/Farmers Guardian Farming's Greatest Communicators competition....

Youngstock: Farmers in the making.
April 1, 2005... Now more than half-way through the academic year, our four agricultural students give us the latest update on how they have been getting on during the run up to the Easter break. ALEX BIRCH Age: 18. Hometown: Monyash, Derbyshire....

`What's in it for me? Conference combines fun and good advice.
April 1, 2005... DO you make time for yourself? Do you charge enough for your work? How can you make your life better? When 130 members of IAgSA - the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and Administrators - gathered in Staffordshire for their 36th...

Marty is simply the best.
April 1, 2005... SHE'S the best! Lancashire farmer's wife Marty Handley has won the Elizabeth Roe memorial competition, this year's award going to the IAgSA branch member of the year. When the institute's 27 branches nationwide were each asked to nominate...

Lincolnshire celebrates competitions first place.
April 1, 2005... LINCOLNSHIRE Young Farmers are celebrating taking overall first place in the East Midlands area competitions in Skegness. With 75 points Lincolnshire's A team had a clear win ahead of runners- up, Derbyshire A on 66.5 and Leicestershire A...

`Ladies day' at memorial nursery and novice trial.
April 1, 2005... IT was certainly ladies day at the Ernest Brewer Memorial nursery and novice trial on Saturday where female handlers took five of the prizes. Despite the weather forecast saying it would be dry and warm, at the show field situated on the...

Popular `double session' trials sees four winning runs.
April 1, 2005... DOUBLE session trials are growing in popularity and on Saturday were held at Crosswell on the Pembrokeshire/Ceredigion border and at Great Howle Farm, Ross-on-Wye. Both were Open Nationals with competition in two sessions and both ran more than...

Top welfare attribute is winter nutrition.
April 1, 2005... THE results of a three-year Defra-funded project have ranked winter nutrition based on the number of lambs carried and the condition score of the ewes as the most important attribute of high welfare hill sheep husbandry strategies. The...

Krone forager set to be `machine of the season'.
April 1, 2005... GERMAN firm Krone has developed the prototype of a 1,000hp self- propelled forager harvester. This is not an April fool's joke - the prototype actually exists and is simply a more powerful version than the current largest V12 Big X at...

Argentine workhorse exports its pulling power to Europe.
April 1, 2005... LARGE arable farms in the market for additional pulling power might like to know that a new 240hp articulated wheeled tractor costing around US$81,000 could soon come to the UK. Made by Argentine-tractor maker Zanello Pauny, the new tractor...

Dealer appointments from Somerset to Inverness.
April 1, 2005... DEALER changes continue in 2005 with new appointments from Somerset to Inverness. McCormick has picked up two more dealers in the form of Robert H Crawford and Son to look after south east Lincolnshire while Michael Garwood is now...

Rhizomania resistant sugar beet is also highest yielding.
April 1, 2005... A rhizomania resistant sugar beet variety will, for the first time, offer the highest sugar yield potential of varieties included on the NIAB Recommended List of Sugar Beet Varieties. The list, which is funded by the British Beet Research...

Potash deficiency is threat to soil fertility.
April 1, 2005... SOME growers are continuing to assess annual fertiliser inputs for individual fields in isolation and without taking into consideration rotations and existing levels of soil fertility, says a leading soil scientist. "Fertiliser...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: Mildew research looks into `durable resistance'.
April 1, 2005... RESEARCH into the relationship between the mildew pathogen and its host may provide some of the answers as to how `durable resistance' - the plant's own natural resistance to infection - might be used by plant breeders in the future. ...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: `Monitor and tailor' advise disease experts.
April 1, 2005... WITH many winter wheat and barley crops approaching growth stage 30, disease levels now need monitoring carefully, according to agronomists around the country. "Septoria is now in most varieties and it seems to be as bad as it was last...

DISEASE CONTROL: Grower reaps the benefits of matching nozzles to crops.
April 1, 2005... LOW grain prices and tightening environmental standards mean cereal disease control is not just about fungicide choice for Essex grower Simon Price. It is also about using the right nozzles. Choosing fungicide nozzles to cut drift and put...

DISEASE CONTROL: Triazole `drift' impacts on dose rates and control.
April 1, 2005... TRIAZOLE `drift' has implications in the current season in terms of product choice and dose rates, says ADAS plant pathologist Bill Clark. Scientists have been aware of shifts in the efficacy of triazoles against Septoria tritici for some...

DISEASE CONTROL: Poor timing causes problems.
April 1, 2005... POORLY timed spray applications resulting in some cases from a lack of understanding of the latent period of septoria tritici were responsible for the disappointing performance of many winter wheat disease control programmes last season. ...

DISEASE CONTROL: Nitrogen use increases disease pressure.
April 1, 2005... INCREASING nitrogen use to get the most from Group 1 and 2 wheat varieties could mean increased disease pressure this season. "Growers have planted more Group 2 wheats this season, particularly Solstice and Einstein, attracted by their high...

DISEASE CONTROL: Second wheats money-making potential.
April 1, 2005... SECOND wheats have not performed well in recent years and many crops in this rotational position do not make money. That's according to ADAS Boxworth-based pathologist Bill Clark, who attributes the disappointing yields of second wheat to a...

DISEASE CONTROL: Take-all levels point to a damaging year ahead.
April 1, 2005... TAKE-ALL levels this spring are the highest for the past three years, according to early season root assessment results from Allied Grain's second wheat performance trials at Haywold in Yorkshire. The trials incorporate 10 to 14 varieties...

DISEASE CONTROL: New model shows benefits of in-season management.
April 1, 2005... MANAGING take-all in-season could be crucial to boosting second wheat margins at current low grain prices, a new computer-based model from Syngenta has shown. Developed to highlight how extra yield translates into margin, the model shows...

Prepare for early pollen beetle attacks.
April 1, 2005... POLLEN beetle attacks on oilseed rape crops are running well ahead of a normal season, growers are being warned. Crops at green bud stage now will be dangerously exposed to pest attack for a prolonged time before the safety of coming into...

Herbicide's top level control of ryegrass and black-grass.
April 1, 2005... TOP level control of black-grass and ryegrass and improved crop safety are the key benefits claimed for a new herbicide from Syngenta. Prosulfocarb is a liquid herbicide being developed for use in wheat and barley. The application window...

More options for grass weed control.
April 1, 2005... THE introduction of mesosulfuron+iodosulfuron (Atlantis) has opened up a new range of options for grass weed control following a period of increasing use of pre-emergence herbicide treatments, Syngenta has acknowledged. However,...

Grazing Monitor 2005.
April 1, 2005... GRAZING Monitor, our regular seasonal feature providing the latest information to help make better use of grass, starts again next week. The project, being run this year by Promar and the Milk Development Council in conjunction with Farmers...

Scottish mart sales figures.
April 1, 2005... MORE than 3.6 million cattle, sheep and pigs were sold through the auction mart system in Scotland in 2004. This figure is almost identical to the previous year, but the value of the livestock sold increased by #15 million to #390.8...

3,000gns for reserve champion as interest in Lincoln Reds continues.
April 1, 2005... The Lincoln Red Cattle Society show and sale, held at the Louth Livestock Centre, saw a top price of 3,000gns paid for the reserve supreme champion bull. Beverley Exalted, born October 2002 out of Beverley Ella A14, sired by Beverley...

South Devon bull Grove Claudius achieves 3,300gns top price at Exeter.
April 1, 2005... EXETER Livestock Market, Devon, was the venue for the show and sale of South Devon bulls and females, with three of the bulls surpassing 3,000gns. Top at 3,300gns was Grove Claudius 63 from W.H.D. Scott, Moreton-in- Marsh, Gloucestershire....

First show in new Skipton sheep ring.
April 1, 2005... THE first show in the new sheep sales ring at Skipton Auction, North Yorkshire, was the Easter show and sale of spring lambs which produced a top price of #145 (315.22p/kg) for the champion, a Suffolk gimmer lamb from R. Earnshaw, Killinghall,...

Texel lamb is Chelford champion.
April 1, 2005... CHELFORD market's, Cheshire, Easter lamb show and sale produced a peak of 340p/kg (#142.80) for local farmer Paul Read's champion lamb, a 42kg Texel sold to butcher Richard Hobday, Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire. The reserve was a 30kg...

Otley Wharfedale success again.
April 1, 2005... Wharfedale Farmers held their Easter show and sale of spring lambs at Otley Wharfedale. An entry of 57 lambs went before the judge Charles Smithson, Weegmanns Quality Butchers, Otley. He awarded the championship to a pair of continental...

#990 top for dairy sale champion.
April 1, 2005... THE March show and sale of dairy cattle on Monday at Skipton Auction, North Yorkshire, saw a 24-strong entry that included 14 newly-calven and 10 in-calf cattle. Local farmer Brian Moorhouse, Bell Busk, presented the champion from his...

Lancaster Easter lambs.
April 1, 2005... YOUNG breeder Thomas Cornthwaite, 18, of Hambleton, Lancashire, took the overall championship at the Lancaster Auction Easter show and sale of spring lambs. His 40kg Texels were bought by Michael Lomax on behalf of Whitakers Butchers,...

March and April increases of 0.3ppl from Dairy Crest.
April 1, 2005... LIQUID milk direct supply contract holders with Dairy Crest will see a 0.3ppl increase for March milk. Dairy Crest has also said that those on liquid contracts should also see at least a further 0.3ppl for April milk. The 0.3ppl does...

Trading at ANM Group satisfactory.
April 1, 2005... BEEF finishers should not hold their breath for 250p/kg deadweight - wholesalers would not be able to make a margin. "Even at an average 208p last summer we were losing money," said ANM Group chief executive Brian Pack, in detailing the...

Royal award for hygiene specialists.
April 1, 2005... DAIRY hygiene and mastitis control specialists, Northern Dairy Supplies, of Preston, have been presented with the RABDF Prince Philip Award 2004. The award was made to the company for `the most practical, relevant and best presented technical...

Store under siege.
April 1, 2005... THE supermarket group Somerfield is under bid siege. The Iceland-based Baugur, which already has a 5 per cent stake in Somerfield, pitched in an informal bid recently. This was quickly followed by two further bid approaches by property...

Sainsbury's fresh lamb supply change.
April 1, 2005... SAINSBURY'S, in the process of rationalising its fresh lamb requirements, has told long standing West Country supplier Lloyd Maunder that it will lose the business from October 1. Lloyd Maunder is currently one of three lamb suppliers to...

`Secure tariff protection to avoid dairy price collapse'.
April 1, 2005... THE outcome of World Trade Organisation negotiations in Geneva this year could have far reaching implications for the UK dairy industry. Jim Begg, director general of Dairy UK, said on Monday that the EU must secure the continuation of...

Open Country looks to open supply door.
April 1, 2005... NEWLY formed New Zealand cheese exporter Open Country will start the new dairy season with 19 of its own dairy farmers and it intends doubling that number next year. Two of the 19 were already supplying the company, while 17 who would...

Beef benchmarking for Tesco supplier.
April 1, 2005... TESCO's supplier of branded Scotch Beef, McIntosh Donald, has introduced an innovative benchmarking scheme for its 1,200 cattle suppliers. The Portlethen, Aberdeen, company believes the #20,000 development, the software for which has been...

Impact of OTM beef.
April 1, 2005... THE renewed supply of OTM beef on to the market could have a greater impact on the future of the industry than current prices, believes wholesale slaughterer McIntosh Donald's managing director Ralph Green. Speaking at the launch of the...

Cross-compliance made easy.
April 1, 2005... A farm business package offering a one-stop shop to meeting cross compliance has been launched by chartered surveyors Berrys. The `Farm Business Compliance Policy Statement' has been developed to cover all requirements of the new single payment...

Shearing rate lift under new laws.
April 1, 2005... NEW ZEALAND farmers can expect to pay up to $25 per 100 sheep more for shearing under new laws for sick leave and bereavement. However, it is uncertain how quickly the new legislation will take effect. Many shearing contractors and their...

Poland making `GMO-free' stand.
April 1, 2005... HALF the Polish population lives in declared GMO-free zones. Mazowieckie Province, with the capital Warsaw and a population of over five million, has become the sixth province in which the local authorities have passed a resolution...

Cattle tracing aid.
April 1, 2005... The BCMS is sending all cattle keepers a new handbook, bringing together all data cattle keepers and the industry need about cattle tracing. Produced in consultation with the NFU, SEERAD, NAWDEPC, Defra, BCMS customers and industry...

Milk production for 2004/5 quota year.
April 1, 2005... Milk production in February was estimated to be 1,052.7 million litres. This compares to 1,141.7 million litres in January 2005 and 1,053.5 million litres in February 2004. Butterfat levels were estimated to be 4.07 per cent compared to 4.10...

MILK QUOTA BULLETIN.
April 1, 2005... MARKET COMMENT: (For week ending March 27, 2005) * SALES COMMENT: A few enquiries have been coming forward for the price of clean quota on the 1st April. At the moment it seems trading will commence at 8.5-9ppl. The volumes of quota coming...

Apology over SFP delays.
April 8, 2005... DEFRA is promising `urgent action' to address the chaos surrounding the Single Farm Payment application process in England. Its pledge, and an apology from the Rural Payments Agency, came in response to a request this week for assurances...

End of the road for Llangadog.
April 8, 2005... DAIRY Farmers of Britain's loss-making Llangadog Creamery in Carmarthenshire is to close this summer, the co-operative announced on Wednesday. Llangadog was part of the Associated Co-operative Creameries package which DFB acquired from the...

Chaos threatens ability to access SPS.
April 8, 2005... FRUSTRATION is turning to despair across the country as the chaos surrounding the application process threatens the ability of farmers to access the Single Farm Payment (SPS). May 16 looms ever larger and for companies like Whittaker & Co,...

Farming must be on the political agenda.
April 8, 2005... FARMING organisations have called on all political parties to put farming and the rural economy at the heart of their programmes, following the confirmation of the May 5 date for the General Election. NFU president Tim Bennett said:...