Farmers Guardian articles from December 2003

Farmers Guardian archives from December 2003

#50m wheat crop error.
December 5, 2003... AN `internal data processing error' by Defra probably cost cereal farmers more than #50million in lost revenue for their 2003 wheat crop, it was claimed this week. Defra has admitted the error led to it overestimating the wheat area for...

Dairy Crest to pay up to 2ppl more for cheese milk.
December 5, 2003... DAIRY CREST are to pay up to 2p per litre more for milk they use for cheese production, it was agreed on Wednesday after prolonged discussions. The processor has promised to pay an extra 1ppl in October, 1.4ppl in November and 2ppl in...

Free testing for sheep scab and lice.
December 5, 2003... Concern about the inaccurate diagnosis between sheep scab and lice and subsequent inappropriate treatment has prompted the Veterinary Laboratories Agency to offer a free testing service for farmers worried that their flocks have been infected....

New victory in vet medicines battle.
December 5, 2003... THE livestock and animal health industries have won a significant victory in the battle to give farmers the right to continue buying animal medicines, such as wormers and sheep dips, without a prescription. The European Parliament's...

Masstock acquire Dalgety.
December 5, 2003... Masstock Arable UK has acquired the assets and business of Dalgety Arable. The new company will be known as the Masstock Dalgety group and continue to operate under the existing Masstock and Dalgety brands. This acquisition of the UK's...

Changes to OTM rule soon?
December 5, 2003... THE Department of Health has promised that the decision on changes to the Over-Thirty Months rule will be made `shortly', although it is unlikely to be before the New Year. Back in July, the Food Standards Agency's recommended that, from...

Go-it-alone marketing move for `English' branding.
December 5, 2003... THE English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) is to take control of its own marketing activities, separating itself from the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), as it prepares to launch an English meat brand. The move brings EBLEX in line...

Vaccines being stockpiled to fight future epidemics.
December 5, 2003... THE Government is gearing itself up to use vaccination in the event of another foot-and-mouth outbreak, following its controversial refusal to use the policy during the 2001 epidemic. It is stockpiling vaccines, working out strategies to...

Young entrepreneurs get their accolades.
December 5, 2003... THE top award in this year's Wales YFC Enterprise Scheme has gone to Dylan Davies and Eilir Williams, from Pontsian, Ceredigion, who between them have created a successful carpentry and roofing enterprise. Trading as Williams and Davies...

National organic survey.
December 5, 2003... A major national survey of organic production has been launched by Organic Farmers & Growers, the UK's second largest certification body. According to its Yorkshire farmer chairman Richard Thompson, the aim of the National Benchmark Survey...

NFUS posts still open for nominations.
December 5, 2003... NOMINATIONS for election to the two vice-president posts in NFU Scotland are open until Wednesday, December 24, 2003. They will be elected at the NFUS Council meeting on Friday, February 20, the day after the NFUS's annual meeting and...

Final victory for NFU in French beef ban battle.
December 5, 2003... The NFU has finally won its hard-fought legal action against the French ban on British beef. The highest civil court in France has ruled that the country was wrong to continue to block imports of British beef once the European Commission...

Bovine brucella case confirmed.
December 5, 2003... THE Scottish Executive has confirmed a case of bovine brucellosis in a Scottish beef herd. The case was identified during post-import blood testing undertaken by the State Veterinary Service on a heifer imported from the Republic of...

Defra's `lack of urgency' criticised.
December 5, 2003... DEFRA has been criticised for a lack of urgency in its efforts to contain bovine tuberculosis. Earlier this year, the department said it would be publishing consultation paper on a long-term TB strategy review in the summer, but there is...

Pesticides Committee appointees.
December 5, 2003... Two new lay members were this week appointed to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) by Minister for Rural Affairs Alun Michael. Rosaline Howell, a senior lecturer in environmental and geographical sciences at Manchester Metropolitan...

Signs of recovery for farmland species.
December 5, 2003... BIRD populations were no longer in decline on farms as farmers increasingly adopted more environmentally-friendly farming practices, new Government reports on biodiversity have shown. The Government's indicator of UK wild bird populations,...

Agri-environmental scheme on course.
December 5, 2003... THE Entry-Level agri-environment scheme is still on course to be rolled out in 2005, according to the man behind the Government's sustainable food and farming strategy. Sir Don Curry, who is now in charge of implementing the strategy, said...

View from Brussels: Fairness must be goal in CAP reform practicality.
December 5, 2003... It is tempting to believe all the details of CAP reform have been settled. The UK regions are all close to final decisions on the decoupling models and, come the new year, officials will begin putting in place the mechanisms to implement the...

OPINION: What a cock-up!
December 5, 2003... We all make mistakes. But nobody has mastered the art of the good, old- fashioned cock-up quite like Defra. Its predecessor MAFF set an example, which Defra, taking over appropriately in the middle of the biggest fiasco of them all, the...

Rogue gangmasters: End exploitation.
December 5, 2003... The Rural, Agricultural and Allied Workers' trade group at the Transport and General Workers Union does not just seek to represent the interests of its members at the bargaining table, it helps deal with problems within agriculture needing...

Call for spot fines for illegal food smugglers.
December 5, 2003... ON-THE-SPOT fines at all ports of entry for people smuggling illegal food products into Britain are being demanded by the Farmers' Union of Wales. It believes a hardline approach must be taken against anyone who brings any item of food...

Studentship award.
December 5, 2003... DELAVAL, one of the world's premier milking parlour manufacturers, has, in association with Farmers Guardian, announced a studentship award for a student at leading agricultural college, Harper Adams University College, Shropshire. The...

Policy changes bring rural threat.
December 5, 2003... BRITAIN'S rural environment could face more threats than advantages from EU farm policy changes, warned John Alliston, dean of agriculture at the Royal Agricultural College. Not least of these could be the loss of traditional rural skills,...

RHASS sells Quality Hotel.
December 5, 2003... THE Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has sold the Quality Hotel, built almost 10 years ago on the northern perimeter of Ingliston, the site of the Royal Highland Show. The new owners are the Chardon Group, which has been...

Communications director for NFU.
December 5, 2003... THE NFU has appointed communications consultant Rachel Oliver to the new post of director of communications. She will start in mid-February. She has previously been head of public affairs for Everychild (formerly The European Children's Trust),...

AGCO parades its wares.
December 5, 2003... IN the week that the contents of the Massey Ferguson Banner Lane factory went under the auctioneer's hammer, AGCO staged its biggest `all-makes' dedicated machinery show on the Staffordshire showground. Following on from a successful...

Subaru Outback's slick new look puts it in another class.
December 5, 2003... Subaru had always been a marque I associated with somewhat tacky and `plasticky' cars. My expectations were therefore not high when I was invited to try out the new Outback and its sister-model, the Legacy. Even though Subaru stressed that...

CONTRACTOR: Wanted: Importer for Italian tractor range.
December 5, 2003... AGRITALIA, the Italian tractor manufacturer went to the EIMA show with a new range of livestock tractors for which it is now seeking a UK importer. Called the Agriplus range, and sold under the Carraro banner, there are three models - 65...

CONTRACTOR: Brand new era for tractor tyres.
December 5, 2003... DESCRIBED as the most important tractor tyre innovation for 20 years, Michelin's Xeobib is designed to operate at the same low pressure of 0.6 bars in the field, as it can at road speeds of up to 65kph. Taking seven years to develop, and...

CONTRACTOR: Combining forces.
December 5, 2003... Deutz-Fahr has entered into a production and marketing agreement with Finnish combine harvester maker Sampo Rosenlew. If all goes to plan, the SDF group is looking to acquire a 10 per cent stake in the Finnish company. The first visible...

CONTRACTOR: `Self-loading' mixer.
December 5, 2003... SELF-propelled self-loading mixer wagons come in a range of shapes and sizes, but this one is different. The outfit is created by attaching a trailed wagon to a tractor with dedicated loader. The result of development work by Dutch firm...

CONTRACTOR: Dual-purpose drill wheels.
December 5, 2003... NEW grain hopper styling is not the only feature on the new Horsch Pronto 4DC double disc drill. Offered with three toolbar options at the front, a further feature is the full width set of tyre packers, which in addition to consolidating...

CONTRACTOR: Multifarmer to lift bales to new heights.
December 5, 2003... A 9m lift height Multifarmer now complements the current 6m version from Merlo. Offering the same 3 tonnes lift capacity, the 9m version is the result of farmer and contractor request for a machine capable of stacking bales higher. Other...

CONTRACTOR: Contractor program.
December 5, 2003... Sum-It Computer Systems have launched a new Contractors Diary Module that integrates with their Total Accounts windows software. Contractors can raise quotes, track client orders, record work completed and then the software will automatically...

Striking a balance between farming and wetland needs.
December 5, 2003... The management of wetland areas is not just a matter of caring for the area around the moss or mere itself, but of taking into account the whole water catchment area supplying the environmentally sensitive wetland area. Neil Ryder joined FWAG...

Butterfly friendly in Hampshire.
December 5, 2003... YOUNG Farmers in Hampshire have planted wild flowers and sown seeds to enhance the environment for butterflies. Working with the Hampshire branch of Butterfly Conservation members of Alresford YFC carried out the work on farmland bordering...

Sandra re-elected Staffs president.
December 5, 2003... FARMER Sandra Hockenhull was re-elected president of the Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs at its annual meeting. Sandra, who farms in partnership with her family at Woodseaves and runs a farm secretarial business, in the...

WORKING DOGS: First and second prove `Handy' at Bamford.
December 5, 2003... AT the third and final Bamford trial of the season, Roger Handy took both first and second placings in the Nursery class and the Nursery aggregate. Held at Shatton, on the outskirts of Bamford, Derbyshire, a large flat field provided a...

Shropshire's stockjudging honours.
December 5, 2003... SHROPSHIRE took team honours in the YFC stockjudging section at the National Primestock Show, followed by Montgomeryshire. Gloucestershire was third. RESULTS Live beef. Individual: David Matkin (Derbyshire). Michael Sheldon...

Mouth-watering fund raiser.
December 5, 2003... A charity luncheon organised by Monmouthshire NFU Ladies has raised #2,065 for Air Ambulance Wales. Members also worked with the NFU and Gwent Young Farmers, organising a harvest service and supper followed by a charity auction and raffle...

Hauling in cash.
December 5, 2003... A pub crawl with a tractor by Burton in Lonsdale YFC, Yorkshire, members is expected to have raised more than #1,000 for the Macmillan Cancer Relief Yorkshire Dales appeal. A bucket collection along the route as the Burton boys hauled the...

Herbicide rise reflects war on grass weeds.
December 5, 2003... USE of pre-emergence herbicides continues to increase with over half the winter cereal crop area receiving a pre-emergence treatment this autumn. According to Peter Corbett, national agrochemical manager with Dalgety Arable, use of...

Drought gives `shaky start' to `biggest' area of winter OSR.
December 5, 2003... OILSEED rape growers drilled the biggest acreage of winter crop for some years this autumn. But not all of it survived October's drought conditions with the likely result that the winter oilseed rape acreage will be similar to last year. ...

`Price hikes' on chemicals on the way.
December 5, 2003... AGRO-CHEMICAL prices are on the way up and growers of minor crops in particular should budget for significant increases. Speaking at the autumn review briefing Dalgety Arable national agrochemicals manager Peter Corbett warned of price...

Low vernalisation gives flexibility `to sow late if conditions dictate'.
December 5, 2003... GROWERS with winter wheat drilling still to complete on land after root crops need to carefully consider both yield and performance of potential varieties before making a final decision of what to sow in the late-drilled slot. "At this...

In-furrow guide to nematode control from DuPont.
December 5, 2003... AGRO-CHEMICAL company DuPont announced new recommendations for in- furrow use of Vydate 10G (oxamyl) for control of free living nematodes in potatoes, at a conference at the Central Science Laboratory, York. The rate for use in-furrow is...

GM `will eventually win over traditional foods'.
December 5, 2003... HIGH-TECH genetically modified food would eventually win out over the traditional, including organic foods, it was claimed at the first national Agricultural Industries' Confederation conference at Cranfield University. That growth would...

Fifth supreme title for the MacPhersons.
December 5, 2003... A bumper crowd flocked to the Perth Agricultural Centre for the Scottish National Winter Fair. With Smithfield now a biennial event, livestock from all over Great Britain was on show, boosting the total entry to over 400 cattle and a similar...

Carcase standards `better than ever'.
December 5, 2003... `BETTER than ever, and that takes some doing', was the verdict on the standard of the beef carcases at the 2003 Scottish National Premier Meat Exhibition at the Scotbeef plant, at Bridge of Allan, on Saturday. No fewer than 119 of the 200...

Double `first' for Morton.
December 5, 2003... SHEEP farmers were getting much better at matching production with real market demand, suggested Robert Wilson, of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a well- known buyer in the sheep trade, after he judged the carcases. The supreme championship went to a...

`Truly outstanding' Jake.
December 5, 2003... ONE of the finest prime cattle displays seen anywhere produced a remarkable climax to a star-studded Royal Welsh Winter Fair, which drew a record attendance of 19,300 for the two days. The overall championship brought a second victory in...

Capitalising on historic feature.
December 5, 2003... THE winner of the NFU Cymru-Natwest Wales Woman Farmer of the Year Award is Sharon Richards, of Abergwili, near Carmarthen, in one of the tightest finals yet. She not only helps run the family farm, but by capitalising on its historical...

Beltex cross is top carcase.
December 5, 2003... YET again the singles championship in the lamb carcase competition, which this year drew more than 180 entries, went the way of David and Ivy Bishop, Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire. Their winning entry was a Beltex cross Beltex cross...

Welsh `double first'.
December 5, 2003... THEY may only live four miles from the English border but Steve and Sascha Gibbons notched a memorable double first in the hotly contested live sheep championships, taking the supreme title for the first time and becoming the first Welsh...

Beef champion adds Anglesey to long list of awards.
December 5, 2003... A Limousin cross heifer that already has three inter-breed and four commercial show championships to its credit collected the top beef award at the Anglesey Winter Show at Gwalchmai, Anglesey, on Saturday. Watching the exhibitor, Tegwyn...

Future of Scottish beef is `wonderful'.
December 5, 2003... A wonderful future for Scottish beef was predicted by a top supplier to some of the nation's leading gourmet restaurants this week - as long as producers paid attention to finishing. Speaking after paying out #2,600 to secure the supreme...

Home-bred `J-Lo' takes supreme championship.
December 5, 2003... THE Aberdeen Christmas Classic, organised by the Aberdeen Fatstock Association and Aberdeen and Northern Marts, was a triumph for top Moray cattle breeder Andrew Anderson, from Smallburn Farms, Rothes. His home-bred 544kg Limousin cross...

1,375gns top.
December 5, 2003... A TOP price of 1,375gns was achieved at the two-day sale of the 450- strong Holsteins and Montbeliardes for Paul and Anita Thomas at Pencombe, Bromyard, Herefordshire. J. Latham, Farndon, Chester purchased the sale topper, the 18-month-old...

8,500gns Peach heads Carlisle Black and Whites.
December 5, 2003... FOR the second year running W.W. Neilson, Overside Holsteins, Lanarkshire, bred the top priced animal at the annual Black and White Sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, on Saturday Prices went to 8,500gns for Overside Lyster Peach, a...

750gns Texel.
December 5, 2003... In-lamb Texel females sold to 750gns at Llandovery, on Saturday. An R1 shearling ewe from W.T. Davies, Canllefaes, Cardigan, took the top price. The daughter of Canllefaes Goldstar, scanned carrying twins to Millend Home Grown, was purchased by...

Crichel cows in demand.
December 5, 2003... Fifteen cows made over 2,000gns when Dorset breeder Tim Harding sold the younger milking section from his noted Crichel Holsteins at the Bristol Sales Centre. The top priced animal returned to the Kingtonmagna herd of A.G. Hinks and Sons,...

Border and Lakeland sale.
December 5, 2003... THE Border and Lakeland Holstein Club sale at Carlisle attracted the largest entry this year, 108 head augmented by nearly 100 from the Margil herd of Martin and Gill Carlile, Laithes, Penrith. One from Margil commanded 1,400gns to J.J. Dent,...

#730 Suffolk.
December 5, 2003... Pedigree Suffolk females sold to #730 at the dispersal of the Guildendown flock at Ludlow, on Saturday. Sold for Frank and Shenton Gwilliam, Clun, Shropshire, the sale topper was an R1 ewe lamb by Fourafourie Ffairrhos out of a Cairness ewe,...

6,500gns Sarkley Charolais.
December 5, 2003... A top price of 6,500gns was reached at Carlisle on Saturday when the Glyn, Chris and Nigel Pennie, Llandyssil, Montgomery, offered their annual consignment of spring born Charolais and Limousin calves. It was Charolais offerings that made...

Irish Suffolks to E5,500.
December 5, 2003... A top price of E5,500 was realised for Irish Suffolk females at Tattersalls, Dublin, on Saturday. Females were on offer from Tom Bailey's Glenho and Baileys flock, Co. Meath, together with David Duncan's Laurelbank flock, Co. Antrim. Mr...

Builth Wells Limousins.
December 5, 2003... SHOW champion, Bringewood Shamrock, took the top price of 3,600gns at the Limousin autumn show and sale at Builth Wells. From A.W. Smith, Burrington, Shropshire, the two-year-old bull, sired by Shatton Pedro and out of a Broadmeadows Cannon...

Beeston Castle Suffolks to 1,200gns.
December 5, 2003... A strong trade at Beeston Castle saw a top price of 1,200gns at the second autumn sale of pedigree Suffolks, on Saturday, for a Muiresk ewe by Stockton Almighty and out of a Muiresk from Carol Meaden, Four Crosses, Powys, purchased by T. J. and...

MILK QUOTA BULLETIN.
December 5, 2003... MARKET COMMENT: (For week ending December 3, 2003) SALES COMMENT: There has been more interest from purchasers this week but the price has remianed steady as tradable quota has been coming on to the market.Anything at market value is...

MILK PRODUCTION FOR 2003/04 QUOTA YEAR.
December 5, 2003... Milk production in October was estimated to be 1,114.7 million litres. This compares to 1,101.6 million litres in September 2003 and 1,076.4 million litres in October 2002. Butterfat levels were estimated to be 4.13 per cent compared to 4.02...

`Tuck In' recipe.
December 5, 2003... In a joint campaign EBLEX (the English Beef and Lamb Executive) and BPEX (the British Pig Executive) have produced colourful posters and recipe leaflets for butchers across England. The promotion, which uses the familiar EBLEX `Tuck In' theme,...

Welsh unions press to end audit secrecy.
December 5, 2003... SPECULATION intensified this week as to why the findings of an independent audit of the financial affairs of Welsh Lamb and Beef Promotions, the producer co-operative formerly responsible for Welsh red meat promotions activities, have been...

Beef finishing profitability still on a `knife-edge'.
December 5, 2003... The profitability of English beef finishing enterprises remains on a knife-edge, even with subsidy payments. To such an extent that the vast majority of extensive cattle finishing businesses and many intensive units may be struggling not to...

Seasonal beef.
December 5, 2003... `Glen', the kilted character which has proved a real success in helping increase sales and awareness of Scotch beef since he was introduced three years ago, will be back on television this Boxing Day. Quality Meat Scotland, which is behind the...

Red meat post.
December 5, 2003... Hybu Cig Cymru - the new Welsh red meat promotion body - has appointed Stewart Pope as marketing manager. With 20 years experience of managing individual food marketing projects in the UK, Continental Europe and the Middle East, he joins the...

French say `Oui' to Welsh lamb as sales start to soar.
December 5, 2003... FAST growing sales of Welsh lamb in France were announced at this week's Royal Welsh Winter Fair by the all-Wales red meat promotional body, Hybu Cig Cymru. Earlier in the year it created and funded a bespoke in-store promotional campaign...

Butterfat trigger alert.
December 5, 2003... THE rate of increase in butterfat levels in the UK's dairy herds has been greater over the past three months than in the same period in any other year on record, causing concern over the butterfat trigger for the 2003/04 quota year. ...

Mart manager.
December 5, 2003... WHARFEDALE Farmers Auction Mart has appointed Michael Harrison (above), as mart manager/auctioneer and company secretary. Mr Harrison, of Harome, Helmsley, who succeeded Ernie Sherwin, has been general manager at Yorkshire Beef, Millington, for...

Changes to H&H sales.
December 5, 2003... Cumbria-based livestock auctioneer Harrison & Hetherington is to operate all its sales centres under general market licence from January 1, with the six day standstill rule being adopted due to ongoing Defra regulations. Since August 1...

Re-branding `nationwide'.
December 5, 2003... ONE of the UK's leading fertiliser and seed distribution businesses is re-branding and expanding to go nationwide. From December 31, the joint venture business SCATS Agriproducts, owned equally by Grainfarmers and UAP, will change its name to...

Sloping heelstone for cubicles.
December 5, 2003... ENVIROSYSTEMS (UK), the Lancashire-based manufacturers of the innovative dairy cow bedding EnviroBed, have designed a new sloping heelstone for cubicles to be used in conjunction with deep bed systems. "This gives cows a firm base to push...

Soil Association claim sparks welfare row.
December 12, 2003... THE Soil Association has sparked a bitter row about the standard of animal welfare on farms by publishing a report highlighting problems in intensive farming systems. The report published by the organic certification body on Monday, says...

No pre-Budget cut in bio-fuels duty disappoints.
December 12, 2003... Chancellor Gordon Brown's failure to announce levels of duty rebates on green fuels in his pre-Budget statement would lead to continuing uncertainty in the fledgling bio-fuel industry, warned the National Farmers' Union. There was...

Pye now UK's largest ruminant-only feed firm.
December 12, 2003... PYE Farm Feeds this week became the largest ruminant-only feed business in the country when it signed contracts with Associated British Nutrition and Agriproducts (ABNA) to acquire six animal feed mills, the Bibby brand and associated assets....

A clear field for Bennett, deputy's contest wide open.
December 12, 2003... DEPUTY president Tim Bennett looks almost certain to become the next leader of the UK's biggest farming organisation. Mr Bennett has been nominated by a number of county branches to replace Sir Ben Gill as National Farmers' Union president...