Farmers Guardian articles from April 2007

Farmers Guardian archives from April 2007

Tesco goes direct to ease dairy pressure.
April 6, 2007... A #25 million initiative on milk sourcing by Tesco, could, industry leaders hope, be the start of a turnaround for dairy farming's fortunes in the UK. The ground-breaking move, which has eclipsed the milk price deliberations of recent...

More farmers give evidence to Competition Commission.
April 6, 2007... MORE farmers have come forward to give evidence to the Competition Commission's on-going investigation into the grocery market. The commission said in January that its investigation was being hampered by a lack of `specific examples' of...

Huge Scottish biofuel plant a step closer.
April 6, 2007... MOVES to build a massive biofuel plant in Scotland have moved a step closer. INEOS Enterprises has submitted the planning application for a #60m plant with a capacity of at least 500 ktes to be built at Grangemouth. Planning consent...

Other supermarkets must follow Tesco lead.
April 6, 2007... DAIRY industry leaders have universally acclaimed Tesco's milk price increase and its contracts with producers. But they are adamant that other major retailers need to come up with a similarly realistic milk price. The NFU says it is...

`User-friendly' review of National Register of Sprayer Operators.
April 6, 2007... THE widely-criticised National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO) scheme is to be reviewed over the next few months with the aim of delivering a more user-friendly version for farmers by the autumn. Looking at all aspects of the scheme,...

MEPs call for cut in GM contamination threshold.
April 6, 2007... EUROPEAN Ministers have called for the threshold of GM contamination of organic food to be reduced from 0.9 to 0.1 per cent. An overwhelming majority of MEPs voted for the changes to European law (585 votes to 35, with 38 abstentions) as...

New team promises to make this year's Royal Show `a cracking event'.
April 6, 2007... THE organisers of this year's Royal Show have promised to deliver a `cracking event', after unveiling a new management team. The organising team has been hit by a number of resignations in recent months, casting doubts about its ability to...

NEWS IN BRIEF: McNair steps down as chief.
April 6, 2007... After seven years at the helm of Food From Britain, David McNair will step down as chief executive to take early retirement at the end of May 2007. During his time at FFB, he has seen a period of tremendous change in the UK food and drinks...

Cross-compliance changes are hailed as a `huge step forward'.
April 6, 2007... THE farming industry has welcomed moves in Brussels to simplify the cross-compliance system as a `huge step forward'. Changes proposed last week will introduce more tolerance in minor cases of non-compliance, introduce advance notice of...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Entries good for cattle show.
April 6, 2007... Over 100 entries have already been received for this year's Aberdeen- Angus Cattle Society national show to be held at Turriff Show in Aberdeenshire on Sunday and Monday, August 5 and 6, 2007. Last year's national show was held at the...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Vandals hit Lancs farms.
April 6, 2007... Several farmers and landowners in the Leyland/Croston area of Lancashire are being hit by vandals, cutting holes in wire fences, sometimes within yards of each other, as well as pulling inlets off water troughs. One of those affected, John...

Miliband claims farmers better off with higher VM.
April 6, 2007... DAVID Miliband has claimed that the high rates of voluntary modulation (VM) faced by farmers in England will actually make them better off. The Defra Secretary has refuted claims he has put English farmers at a competitive disadvantage by...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Welsh food and drink tour.
April 6, 2007... Shoppers will be able to sample some of the best food and drink Wales has to offer during a Welsh Assembly-organised, whistle stop presentation tour of supermarkets right across South Wales. Packed with award-winning products, the True Taste...

Tir Mynydd outcome simply `robbing Peter to pay Paul'.
April 6, 2007... THE Welsh Assembly vote in favour of restoring some of the cuts in next year's Wales-based Tir Mynydd hill farming support payments has delighted farming organisations - but has been attacked as `short- sighted and damaging' by a raft of...

Marts press for split premises calf auctions.
April 6, 2007... AUCTION markets are pushing for Defra to relax its rules on the auction of calves for export as they bid to attract more farmers to sales. Four auction markets, Carmarthen, Taunton, Yeovil and Frome, have started weekly calf export sales....

No prosecutions arising from the avian flu outbreak.
April 6, 2007... THE Bernard Matthews turkey plant at the centre of the avian influenza outbreak in February will not be prosecuted despite an initial report that highlighted breaches of regulations. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said this week that there...

UK broilers almost salmonella free.
April 6, 2007... A QUARTER of broiler flocks in Europe have salmonella, a survey published this week by the Europe Food Standards Agency (EFSA) has revealed. Salmonella was estimated to be present in 23.7 per cent of European flocks but varied...

Livestock industry `at mercy of wind' on bluetongue spread.
April 6, 2007... THE UK livestock industry is bracing itself for the arrival of bluetongue this summer in light of evidence from Germany that the virus has survived the European winter. The disease arrived in northern Europe for the first time in August...

Meat industry clarifies position on reports over cancer link research.
April 6, 2007... REPORTS by the media that post-menopausal women who eat red meat have a significantly increased chance of breast cancer are `misleading', the meat industry claimed this week. Researchers from the University of Leeds team monitored 35,000...

New committee members.
April 6, 2007... Defra has appointed seven new members to the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards. They are: Dr Andrew Butterworth, veterinary research fellow at the University of Bristol Veterinary School; Ronald Eunson, organic farmer and independent...

Feed and fuel costs part of Defra annual report.
April 6, 2007... DEFRA's annual report on agriculture has, for the first time, included a feed and fuel cost in its 2006 figures. Following concerns about the impact of crude oil price increases, a new chapter details how key inputs, such as fuels,...

Animal welfare law update.
April 6, 2007... THE most important piece of animal welfare legislation for almost a century came into force in Wales this week with more than 20 pieces of legislation relating to farmed and non-farmed animals being brought together and updated following the...

Children showing stronger interest in farming and food.
April 6, 2007... CHILDREN are more aware about farming and what they eat than we realise, according to a new national survey of their habits. Research by Childwise of primary and secondary school children aged seven to 16, found the vast majority had...

Welsh push for more food education.
April 6, 2007... Welsh meat body Hybu Cig Cymru has called for food education to become a compulsory subject in schools. It said it would help children combat rising obesity levels and led healthy lives. "Obesity levels in Wales are rising...

Forgotten rural Britain needs a little help too.
April 6, 2007... I'm going to have trouble not making this piece into one long rant. I want to be measured. Considered. But, when I think of our esteemed Prime Minister talking so kindly to us recently about the way life has improved for us all in the last...

OPINION: At last.
April 6, 2007... At last. There can be no phrase that better sums up the significant move on milk price made by Tesco this week. It is good news for the dairy farmers who will be part of this direct supply deal, and for the industry as a whole. The hope is...

LETTER: Concept of farmers' ferry was `flawed'.(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2007... Your article headlined `Calf export trade in disarray as AEF faces collapse' (FG, March 30) is misleading. The AEF co-operative was established after the live export ban was lifted by a number of exporters to raise funds to finance the...

LETTER: SPS: Why have they kept jobs?(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2007... AFTER the publication of the most damning report from the EFRA Select Committee into the SPS debacle, I still find it hard to believe that more heads haven't rolled (FG, March 30). If this had been any medium or large business, the board...

LETTER: Supermarket executives.(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2007... ARE supermarket executives unaware of the law on co-mingling beef from different countries of origin - or do they prefer to turn a blind eye? The most recent LACORS guidelines relating to Article 16 of the EC Food Labelling Directive...

LETTER: Unfair comments.(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2007... I noted some unfair comments made by Andrew Hall regarding the calf export trade collapse (FG, March 30) and I should like to reply to those comments. I have worked in the cross-channel ferry industry for 30 years and have provided the...

LETTER: Orf in sheep and labs.(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2007... FURTHER to your article on orf in sheep and lambs (FG, February 9) I wanted to write about our experiences here on the family farm some 20 years ago, where we had approximately 250 ewes and around 65 milking cows. Having experienced years...

What modulation means to England's farmers.
April 6, 2007... Over the next few years farmers in England will lose nearly a fifth of their Single Payments through modulation, while cuts almost everywhere else in Europe will be set at 5 per cent. ALISTAIR DRIVER look at what last week's announcement on...

Modulation - and what they said.
April 6, 2007... * "For many in the countryside looking after the environment is a way of life. I hope that the near #4 billion funding will help all concerned build on the significant achievements already made and continue to make the English countryside a...

Defra must admit to its own failures.
April 6, 2007... The MP behind the damning report on Mrs Beckett and her cohorts' handling of Single Payments explains why Defra needs to finish its clearout and what the future holds for subsidies. TOM LEVITT reports. JUDGEMENT day finally arrived for...

`Feeding systems affect cull cow finishing time'.
April 6, 2007... THERE was no benefit to feeding more than 6kg of concentrates per day when finishing cull cows for market - above this level there was no significant additional daily liveweight gain. That was just one of the findings of a trial to evaluate...

Animal methane production on climate change agenda.
April 6, 2007... The British Society of Animal Science staged its annual meeting and conference at Southport this week. METHANE production by ruminants and its contribution to climate change were now concerning politicians and Defra, claimed Prof Jamie...

Weight gains on kale `acceptable'.
April 6, 2007... SPRING-BORN suckled calf steers could be out-wintered on kale-based grazing systems and still achieve acceptable liveweight gains. That was the finding of a study by Jimmy Hyslop from the Scottish Agricultural College, which set out to...

Straw bedding `best enrichment' for pigs.
April 6, 2007... THE best `enrichment' for pigs was straw bedding, according to a study by Caroline Docking, of ADAS Terrington. The provision of environmental enrichment for pigs is a legal requirement within the EU, but there is debate as to what...

Simple steps will deter the flytippers.
April 6, 2007... FLY-TIPPING has become a major problem in the countryside, with 67 per cent of farmers affected, and the cost of illegally dumped waste, shared between landowners and local authorities, totals around #100 million a year. That was the...

PIN's effort impresses the Prince.
April 6, 2007... PRINCE Charles met members of a Norfolk producers' co-operative during a visit to East Anglia. On a visit to the Horstead Farming Group's farm shop at Beeston, near Norwich, the Prince met 12 food producing members of Produced in Norfolk...

Welsh artisan flours make it into flagship Moscow store.
April 6, 2007... ALREADY used by many of the UK's top chefs and restaurants, Bacheldre Watermill's organic flours are to go on sale in one of Russia's flagship stores over Easter. The artisan flours made by award-winning Powys millers, Matt and Anne Scott,...

Exeter Festival demonstrates the `ingenuity of farmers' - Bradshaw.
April 6, 2007... THE food industry in the South West further enhanced its reputation as a leader rather than a follower last weekend. Bigger and better than ever before, the Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink, showcased some of the finest produce...

Don't forget the Muirburn Code.
April 6, 2007... THE Scottish Crofting Foundation has reminded members of the need to ensure that muirburn - heather burning - is carried out in accordance with the principles of the Muirburn Code. SCF director Donald MacDonald from Eynort said: "As...

Agreement to tackle land-based skills shortage in Wales.
April 6, 2007... AN agreement between employers, the Welsh Assembly and Lantra to tackle a land-based industry skills shortage in Wales will support more than 11,000 agricultural businesses and 44,000 workers. Launching a ground-breaking agreement at the...

`Local food' facility for hospital meals.
April 6, 2007... WORK has begun on a #3.6 million project to provide meals for hospitals across Cornwall - with the help of local farmers. The central food production unit is being built next door to the NHS Camborne-Redruth hospital and will make meals for...

Don't be afraid of innovation, rural firms and farmers told.
April 6, 2007... INNOVATION was an option and farmers and rural businesses should not be afraid of taking that first step, suggested Nigel Ryan, business manager at Bishop Burton College's business development unit. He was speaking after a rural skills...

Farmer on mission to get locally-produced food on Armed Forces' tables.
April 6, 2007... There are more sheep in Powys than people - and the rugged terrain is not the only challenge for producers. BARRY ALSTON reports. PICTURES: ARVID PARRY JONES ESTYN James is a farmer with a mission - and Britain's Armed Forces are locked...

ARABLE: PSD publishes details for the withdrawal of trifluralin.
April 6, 2007... THE Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) has published details of herbicides containing trifluralin that are to be withdrawn following the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health vote last month for the non-inclusion of the...

ARABLE: BPC says potato plantings progressing well nationally.
April 6, 2007... IMPROVING soil conditions have resulted in good progress being made with potato planting, according to the British Potato Council this week. With total planting now estimated at 21,500 hectares, growers are well ahead of the 14,900 hectares...

ARABLE: Joules chlorothalonil withdrawn after formulation discrepancies.
April 6, 2007... THE fungicide Joules has been withdrawn following a Pesticides Safety Directorate investigation into the supply of chlorothalonil products. Analysis showed that much of the marketed material had a formulation which was different from that...

ARABLE: N rates spring 2007.
April 6, 2007... Sandy or shallow soils with no over-winter crop cover. Most of the soil N present in the autumn will have been leached. Use the appropriate RB209 SNS index table according to EWR. Deep, medium and heavy soils with advanced overwinter crop...

ARABLE: Soil nitrogen levels drop - but only to average season levels.
April 6, 2007... LAST autumn's high soil nitrogen levels have reduced significantly over the winter but only to levels typical of an average season, according to ADAS. Furthermore, in many situations crop growth has been advanced, with significant crop...

ARABLE: Getting the bigger picture.
April 6, 2007... THE Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which is celebrating its centenary year this year, is building up a picture of precisely what is happening on estates, farms and in the wider countryside in the year 2007. It has designed a...

ARABLE: Cherokee approved for higher dose rate.
April 6, 2007... A NEW, higher dose rate has been approved in the UK for the cereal fungicide Cherokee (chlorothalonil+cyproconazole+propiconazole). The new approval will allow a maximum individual dose of 2.0 litres per hectare of Cherokee to be used -...

ARABLE: New co-form well suited to T0 and T1.
April 6, 2007... NEW chlorothalonil+ epoxiconazole+metrafenone co-formulation Ceando is well placed for use at T0 and T1 this season, according to Velcourt technical director Keith Norman. Mr Norman believes that a T0 curative triazole application is a...

ARABLE: Other New products - Superb disease spectrums.
April 6, 2007... * THE greening benefits seen in wheat and barley growers following applications of of Proline (prothioconazole) and Fandango (prothioconazole + fluoxastrobin) are now available in oats following the approval of both fungicides for use in the...

ARABLE: Other New products - Approval for use in broad-leaved crops.
April 6, 2007... * POST-emergence herbicide Troy has gained approval for use in a wide range of broad-leaved crops including beans, peas, and potatoes. Troy contains bentazone formulated as a 480 g/l soluble concentrate, delivering post-emergence contact...

ARABLE: Other New products - Active on all species of slugs.
April 6, 2007... * INTERFARM UK Ltd has launched a new molluscicide to the UK market. Sold under the brand name Sloggy, it is based on the well-known active ingredient metaldehyde and is a durum-based wet extruded 2.5 mm pellet that is specifically...

ARABLE: Keep on top of mildew.
April 6, 2007... EARLY preventative mildew control in cereals will pay dividends this season, according to Dow AgroSciences. Trials work shows that a higher percentage yield loss comes from early mildew infections. If mildew comes into the crop at GS24 or...

ARABLE: Timing is vital to achieve good levels of cavity spot control.
April 6, 2007... CARROT growers can achieve good levels of cavity spot control with SL567A (metalaxyl-M), but application timing is crucial to get the best results. Recent research, conducted by Agrovista and Syngenta, has revealed that the application of...

ARABLE: Farmers praised for helping the VI meet its targets.
April 6, 2007... FARMERS supporting the Voluntary Initiative (VI) have received double praise this week for their role in improving biodiversity and meeting most of the targets set by the initiative's organisers last year. An interim report on the...

ARABLE: Research at IGER looks at ryegrass as renewable chemical source.
April 6, 2007... GRASSLAND could soon be the source of a range of chemicals used in plastics, coatings and cosmetics, according to a team of scientists based in Wales. The scientists have just embarked on a #1 million project that will seek ways of...

ARABLE: Six new sugar beet varieties.
April 6, 2007... SIX new sugar beet varieties join the NIAB Recommended List for the first time for 2008 taking the total number of varieties available for selection up to 22. The new additions to the BBRO-funded list are Alota and Trinita from Syngenta,...

ARABLE: Trial results show benefits for septoria control and yield.
April 6, 2007... USING a prothioconazole+ chlorothalonil mix at T1 had a useful additional effect on septoria control last year, and had a neutral effect on eyespot performance. That's the conclusion from both independent and Bayer CropScience trials,...

ARABLE: EU barley production up.
April 6, 2007... EU-25 barley production is expected to rise 4.5 million tonnes to 58.8Mt in 2007/08, according to Strategie Grains, driven by a rise in plantings and improved yields. Spring barley plantings are seen up 1.4 per cent to 8.5Mha. The largest...

ARABLE: Newest UK plant turns rapeseed oil into `green fuel'.
April 6, 2007... Biofuel company Greenergy has started production at its new biodiesel plant at Immingham. CLEMMIE GLEESON went to visit. PRODUCTION at the UK's newest biodiesel plant is now in full swing. Rapeseed oil from crops harvested last year is...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: Disease levels lower after dry spell.
April 6, 2007... With the majority of cereal crops now at growth stages 30 to 31 and with T0 sprays either having gone on, or currently being applied, JOANNA BAKER asks two agronomists how crops are looking, what levels of disease are around and what products...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: Crops looking pretty good in south.
April 6, 2007... WINTER WHEAT FURTHER south most forward wheats were comfortably at first node or GS31, although the majority of wheats were at GS30, according to TAG crop consultant, David Parish, Bedfordshire. "Generally crops are looking pretty good...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: Triazoles still the backbone.
April 6, 2007... THE field performance of triazoles has received considerable attention recently. This is justifiably so since they have traditionally been the backbone of cereal disease control strategies - and particularly so since the occurrence of...

CEREAL DISEASE CONTROL: Lodging may indicate eyespot infection.
April 6, 2007... DO not neglect eyespot in first wheat - doing so could lose yield. And don't dismiss lodging as purely seasonal - it could indicate a severe eyespot infection. Those were two conclusions from a major eyespot research programme at Harper...

Fungicide-induced host defence is of benefit against other pathogens.
April 6, 2007... AS part of its R&D strategy, BASF has sought to understand the non- fungicidal effects and benefits of plant fungicides since the introduction of its first strobilurin, kresoxim-methyl. These effects known as plant health or `host defence'...

FARM FEATURE: Clever cows make a profit.
April 6, 2007... Developing a sound business perspective as well as seeing things from a farming angle can revolutionise your working week Keeping things simple is the key not only to profitability but also to a better lifestyle, according to the Rawson...

YOUNGSTOCK: Changing emphasis for Seal-Hayne's students.
April 6, 2007... Just under four years ago we reported that Seale-Hayne, the Devon-based agricultural faculty of the University of Plymouth, was set to move from its rural location to the main Plymouth campus in the heart of the city. DAVID BURROWS pays a visit...

YOUNGSTOCK: Training pays off at Red Poll Calf Show.
April 6, 2007... AGRICULTURE and animal management students at Writtle are celebrating their success at the Red Poll Calf Show in Peterborough where they won 14 rosettes in four categories. Lizzie Giles, Libby Foster, Kaye Lani Sharpe, Hannah Argent and...

YOUNGSTOCK: Brave new world at Easton College.
April 6, 2007... EASTON College, Norfolk, has officially opened the #2.4m extension to its Jubilee Teaching Centre. Professor Bill Macmillan, vice-chancellor of the nearby University of East Anglia (UEA), opened the building at a special ceremony, hailed...

YOUNGSTOCK: Students' protest earns reprieve for pedigree pig unit.
April 6, 2007... Shuttleworth College forced into about turn by direct action IT is possible to take many things away from a carefree student but you cannot remove their beloved pedigree pigs. Agricultural students at Shuttleworth College, Bedfordshire,...

Single point win for Scott at Trawden in second success.(Obituary)
April 6, 2007... KEITH Salisbury and Scott took their second novice title in successive weeks last Saturday, while Chloe Cropper and Ron earned their first nursery win. The Yorkshire novice and nursery was held on the Trawden Showfield, near Colne,...

SAC to upgrade farm research facilities.
April 6, 2007... PLANS have been announced by the SAC to carry out a major upgrade of its beef cattle research facilities at Easter Howgate Farm, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian. Supported by SEERAD, the development will provide modern handling and...

RCVS Trust funds research projects and animal welfare.
April 6, 2007... THE Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' Trust has this week awarded just under #600,000 to nearly 70 innovative and high-calibre research and animal welfare projects in the UK and overseas. It represents the third stage of a three-year...

COUNTRY VIEW: Counting the cost of deer strikes on Britain's roads.
April 6, 2007... WILD deer cause 74,000 accidents a year on Britain's roads, deer experts have been told. Results from a six-year study into deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) undertaken by the Deer Initiative and released at a conference in Buxton,...

COUNTRY VIEW: Hat-trick for Tatton Park at Fine Food Awards.
April 6, 2007... TATTON Park is celebrating after scooping Best Cheshire Producer at the recent North West Fine Food Awards, and winning two awards for its sausages. Tatton Park's Housekeeper's Store fought off tough competition from some of the North...

COUNTRY VIEW: Promoting UK hedgerow conservation.
April 6, 2007... A NEW handbook has been published to promote greater conservation of UK hedgerows and the species that live within them. Hedgerows play a vital role in conserving biodiversity, and also make an important contribution to both farming and the...

COUNTRY VIEW: National Parks agenda.
April 6, 2007... A NEW Policy Statement for the National Parks in Wales has been welcomed by the Council for National Parks (CNP). The statement, which sets out a strategic agenda for the National Park Authorities (NPAs) in taking forward the Welsh Assembly...

COUNTRY VIEW: Survey of red squirrels.
April 6, 2007... A DRIVE is underway to learn more about the distribution of red squirrels in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. During the coming months Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) officers and Dales Volunteers will be setting up survey...