Farmers Guardian articles from December 2004

Farmers Guardian archives from December 2004

OTMS - almost there.
December 3, 2004... THE decision to allow beef from animals over 30 months back into the food chain for the first time since spring 1996 has finally been announced - but the timing remains uncertain. Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett announced in Parliament, on...

Incomes pegged back in second half of year.
December 3, 2004... UK AVERAGE farm incomes are forecast to remain largely unchanged at #16,000 in 2004, as strong prices in the first half of the year are set to be cancelled out by weaker prices and problems with the harvest in the second half. Total Income...

Profits rise - except for livestock.
December 3, 2004... EFRA has published separate figures, based on results from the Farm Business Survey, showing net farm income in England in different sectors in the year to the end of February 2004. These showed healthy profits for the cereal sector of...

Invitation to UK business awards.
December 3, 2004... BUSINESSES, both large and small, across the UK are being invited to apply for the eighth Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence 2005. Rigorously assessed and independently assured the awards have become a powerful benchmark of...

Goals to ensure safety - and restore exports.
December 3, 2004... NOW the decision to make the change to Over-Thirty Months rule has finally been made, in principle at least, there are three main goals for Government and industry to work towards. One is to ensure the BSE testing procedures are...

Cadog gets gold.
December 3, 2004... DAIRY Farmers of Britain has announced its Cadog brand of dairy products has won gold in the true taste manufacturer large category of the Wales Food and Drink Awards, held at the Celtic Manor, Newport. The Cadog brand, launched earlier...

Prince Charles backs moves to introduce `new talent' into farming.
December 3, 2004... PRINCE Charles has given his backing to an initiative to attract new blood into farming, describing the current lack of `young talented individuals' wanting to enter the industry as a matter of `great concern'. Fresh Start, an English...

Good practice.
December 3, 2004... One of the conditions attached to good agricultural and environmental practice under the CAP reform cross compliance requirements is causing concern on Anglesey. "The inability to trim farm hedges between March 1 and August 31 fails to take...

Falsely accused farmers hit back over casualty cattle claims.
December 3, 2004... DEFRA has admitted mistakes were made, after it became apparent a number of farmers have been sent letters falsely accusing them of failing to report casualty cattle for BSE testing. Defra and SEERAD sent out more than 1,000 letters last...

CAP approach.
December 3, 2004... A sensible approach to CAP reform cross compliance requirements by the Welsh Assembly is being urged by Mid Gwynedd NFU county branch. "We want the Assembly to draw up and implement an inspection concordat between its field officers, local...

New regulation.
December 3, 2004... The new European food regulations, taking effect in January 2006, will exempt most producers of dry-plucked fresh geese from the more onerous provisions facing larger producers, members of the British Goose Producers Association heard during...

Welsh Sheep.
December 3, 2004... The NSA Cymru Welsh Sheep 2005 event will be held at Pentre Farm, Merthyr Cynog, near Brecon, Powys, on May 25. The 500-acre beef and sheep hill farm is home of one of Wales's most innovative and positive young farmers, John Davies, a former...

Pressure on Commission to settle outstanding contracts.
December 3, 2004... THE European Commission's decision to hold back millions of pounds towards the UK Government's foot-and-mouth bill is no excuse to continue the non-payment of contracts to small firms who worked during the crisis, a business pressure group has...

New director.
December 3, 2004... Danisco Animal Nutrition has appointed Howard Simmins as its new director of research and has reorganised its regulatory team further strengthen its position in the global feed ingredients market. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Firm support for veterinary service change.
December 3, 2004... A CONSULTATION on a programme to turn the State Veterinary Service into an Executive Agency has revealed `firm support' for the move, according to Defra. The new agency, which will be separate from Defra, is due to come into being on April...

Dairy Council calms the cancer fear.
December 3, 2004... THE Dairy Council has acted quickly to alleviate fears following recent press coverage linking milk to ovarian cancer stems, claiming it comes from just one observational study. In fact, it adds, four other independent scientific studies...

Beef scheme closing date.
December 3, 2004... THE Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has confirmed the closing date for applications for the Beef Special Premium Scheme is midnight on December 31, 2004. Claims submitted after December 31 may be accepted up to midnight on January 25, 2005, but any...

Dairy farmer's `molly-coddled' promise reward.
December 3, 2004... THE NFU's `Something for your Promises' competition has been won by Stephen Hardman, a Lancashire dairy farmer, who pledged: `I promise to treat each of my cows as she deserves: molly-coddled, manicured and milked'. Mr Hardman keeps a...

GM herbicide-tolerant crops `bring economic benefits'.
December 3, 2004... GENETICALLY modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops in rotation offer economic benefits to farmers, with no detrimental impact on biodiversity or farming methods, according to a report out this week. However, environmentalists say the...

EC facing further GM problems.
December 3, 2004... THE European Commission is facing further GMO problem, with states blocking GM approvals still refusing to lift their national bans. Germany, France, Luxembourg, Austria and Greece all say they are not satisfied the products are safe, despite...

EBLEX post.
December 3, 2004... Fourth generation farmer David Morgan has been appointed to the 11- strong board of the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX). He farms around 1,000 ewes and 150 suckler cows on the Welsh borders in Herefordshire, and is vice-chairman of...

Entitlement transferable with land.
December 3, 2004... NEW information released by SEERAD confirms entitlement can be transferred with land, up to May 15, 2005, subject to clear evidence that the sale contract includes the entitlements, according to Aberdeen and Northern (Estates). The estate...

Check date.
December 3, 2004... The fifth check date for the Extensification Payment Scheme 2004, covering September/October 2004, is September 12. The date is the same for applicants within England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The first four check dates...

CAP roadshows.
December 3, 2004... A document detailing questions and answers from a series of weekly CAP roadshows organised by the Tenant Farmers' Association is now available to all TFA members. Details of the next series of meetings are available on the association's website...

Advantage West Midlands.
December 3, 2004... Sue Prince, who runs an organic dairy farm and bed and breakfast operation in Ilam, North East Staffordshire, and is founder of the Peak District Foods Group, has been appointed to the board of Advantage West Midlands. Copyright: CMP...

Vaccine launch.
December 3, 2004... Intervet has launched the UK's first inactivated 5-in-1 vaccine for protection against some of the most common diseases encountered in layer and breeder units. Nobilis RT + Ibmulti + ND + EDS is claimed to protect against avian rhinotracheitis,...

Boel's pledge on food safety and quality.
December 3, 2004... EU farm commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has published her "mission statement" for the future of the CAP. She pledges to work `tirelessly' for a CAP that helps rural areas play their vital social and economic role in European society. "It...

Re-elected.
December 3, 2004... Brecon and Radnor NFU county branch officeholders have been re-elected en-bloc for a second year - with John Davies, Pentre Farm, Upper Chapel, near Brecon, as county chairman, and Andrew Lloyd, of Clyro, vice-chairman. Copyright: CMP...

Feed deal.
December 3, 2004... Animal feed suppliers, Harbro, of Turriff, Aberdeenshire, has reached agreement to have Harbro ruminant compound feeds manufactured to the company's own fixed formulations at BOCM Paul's Renfrew mill. The move follows the closure of the...

Defra mails Single Payment details.
December 3, 2004... DEFRA is sending out detailed information on the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), including long-awaited details on set-aside rules, to over 170,000 farmers and growers in England this month. The following publications will be sent out from...

TB plea.
December 3, 2004... Wildlife groups are being urged by NFU Cymru to take note of the agricultural industry's `absolute commitment' to controlling TB and accept that it must include the culling of infected badgers and other wildlife if the disease was to be...

Monk's view: Why the answer may not lie on the farm post-MTR.
December 3, 2004... With every month of 2004 that has gone by, with every scrap of fine detail that has come out of Brussels, it has become ever more clear that the phrase mid-term review is a complete misnomer. This is no mid-term review of anything: It is...

OPINION: Beginning of the end.
December 3, 2004... We have reached the beginning of the end of the BSE crisis. This week's decision on the OTM rule is a massive fillip for the beleaguered cattle industry, paving the way, as it does, for better times ahead. More money for cattle that...

Renting empty buildings to businesses.
December 3, 2004... Too few farmers are realising the potential of converting unoccupied buildings for businesses to use. By doing so they are missing out on a lucrative source of regular income that can supplement the farm's regular activities, or indeed a...

Dairy Alliance launch `public, practical and political' plan.
December 3, 2004... A THREE-PRONGED action plan has been identified by the Dairy Alliance in its bid to achieve a fair farmgate price for dairy farmers and ensure a sustainable future for the sector. The Alliance, comprising the Small Farms Association, Farm,...

Farmers pay the `price of bickering'.
December 3, 2004... DAIRY farmers continue to pay the price of `bickering, finger-pointing and misdirection' in the milk supply chain, according to NFU Scotland president John Kinnaird, who has accused the major milk processors and supermarkets for perpetuating a...

Joining forces to combat current `poverty prices'.
December 3, 2004... PRESSURE group Farm's Just Milk campaign to end poverty milk prices has continued with consumers joining forces with dairy farmers to protest outside Tesco stores around Britain. Actions were held in Cheshire, Shropshire and London over the...

Postcode price lottery faces farmers joining Fallen Stock Scheme.
December 3, 2004... Following the start of the National Fallen Stock Scheme, Tom Levitt has discovered that prices are varying significantly between regions and some farmers will be paying higher prices than before the scheme started. Those that stand to lose out...

`Why the whacking price increase?'.
December 3, 2004... David Boden, a dairy farmer at Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, is one of those who have found the prices in their area have gone up. Before the scheme he said he was being charged #10 for each stirk from six months up to 12 months. Now, since the...

Little alternative but to pay up.
December 3, 2004... Mike Jarvis, a pig farmer at South Malton, North Devon, said he was quoted #40 for each 110kg pig he wanted collecting when he phoned the fallen stock helpline. However, when further enquiries were made to his nearest collector signed up to the...

Farming fighter moves on.
December 3, 2004... Europe's toughest fighter for the interests of farmers, French Farm Minister Herve Gaymard, has been promoted to Finance Minister in a French Cabinet shake-up. His replacement will be Dominique Bussereau, who unusually for a French Farm...

CAP: what's that? - survey findings.
December 3, 2004... A SURVEY carried out for the European Commission has revealed that more than half of people have never heard of the Common Agricultural Policy. This is despite the fact that it accounts for half of all EU spending and is frequently...

2005 Showman's Directory out soon.
December 3, 2004... THE 2005 edition of the Showman's Directory, which boasts a comprehensive listing of show and event dates throughout the UK, will be published in January. It is available from Lance Publications, Park House, Park Road, Petersfield, Hampshire...

Agricultural medical contact card.
December 3, 2004... Farmers and others working with livestock can obtain a free agricultural medical contact card from the Women's Food and Farming Union (WFU). The medical cards are also available from Schering-Plough Animal Health, tel. 01895 626000. ...

Supermarkets: friend or foe?
December 3, 2004... The introduction of decoupled subsidies should lead to a shift in the balance of power in the food supply chain. Farmers are telling supermarkets that unless they get paid a fair price, they will be no longer willing to churn out food,...

Seeking silage taint solution.
December 3, 2004... FOR more than four weeks, a Lancashire milk producer has been `pulling the plug' on his bulk tank and running his entire daily production from 80 cows into the slurry store. The problem is silage taint and so far, no-one has been able to...

DNA fingerprinting technology could give a traceability edge.
December 3, 2004... A RESEARCH project employing DNA genetic fingerprinting technology is getting under way in Wales that could give livestock producers an edge in establishing full traceability. Details of the new jointly funded Hybu Cig Cymru and CBS...

Three awards in a row.
December 3, 2004... THE South West Scotland Dairy Show, at Castle Douglas, was a success story for the Yates family of Meikle Firthhead, Haugh of Urr and A. and A. Kirkpatrick, of Sanquhar. They continued their domination at Wallets Marts, Castle Douglas, and...

Winter sunshine at East Midland Holstein event.
December 3, 2004... THE Gainsborough-based herd of R.V. Winter and Sons won the large herd section, received a special herd award, and was first in four other classes at the East Midland Holstein Club's 2004 herd competition. Results: Large herds: Whole...

First win for Nejay herd.
December 3, 2004... BRIDGNORTH, Shropshire, breeders Neil and Jayne Madeley took the herd championship for the first time with their Nejay herd in the North Midlands Regional Association of Shorthorn Breeders annual herds competition. Eleven herds from...

Stardale is a star herd.
December 3, 2004... THE Stardale herd of J. Burrow and Sons was selected as overall champion in the Lancashire Holstein Club's 2004 herd competition. Results: Large herds: Champion herd, J. Burrow and Sons, Stardale. In-milk heifers, J.W. and M. Dennison,...

A county bouncing back to tackle rural regeneration.
December 3, 2004... ON a late November evening three years ago, one of the last areas of Cumbria to resume stock movement, the Penrith Spur, was finally given the all-clear. The foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2001 was felt most severely in Cumbria, which recorded...

Mule sheep `still bred in Cumbria' is association message.
December 3, 2004... THE North of England Mule Sheep Association has over 700 members in Cumbria. After the epidemic there was a need to make it clear that animals were still being bred in Cumbria, as the rumours in the south were that they had all disappeared and...

Village's positive response to local food sourcing.
December 3, 2004... AS part of the Penrith Spur, the village of Orton was one of the last areas to be given the all-clear. Only the previous year, an idea for a farmers' market had been mooted, but by September 2001 few held out much hope for success. Jane...

Link to `alternative' organic production.
December 3, 2004... THE period of restocking after the foot-and-mouth epidemic saw many contemplate alternative farming production. Cumbria Organics was a non- profit group set-up in December 2001 to help farmers convert to organic farming through providing a...

Clare goes the whole hog with new venture.
December 3, 2004... THE Whole Hog and Sauce is a new enterprise started by farmer's wife Clare Woolhouse, of Hooton Roberts, near Rotherham. Mrs Woolhouse's husband Stewart, his brother Robert and father farm around 1,000 acres. This is mostly combinable crops...

Farming Connect looks to the future.
December 3, 2004... THE longer-term projects for rural regeneration began in April 2003, with the formation of the Rural Regeneration Company. "The company is not just an organisation that will help us with regeneration in Cumbria but one that will develop...

Movement helpline in the North.
December 3, 2004... A NEW telephone helpline has been introduced in the North of England to provide farmers with help and advice on the thousands of animal movements in the region. The new service, NoAH (Northern Animal Health), will also be available to the...

Company backs initiatives.
December 3, 2004... WHILE much has evidently been done to support initiatives helping to regenerate farming, Cumbrian farmers should not expect this to last. The Rural Regeneration Company with its rural business, tourism, skills and community programmes is...

SDF on the rise.
December 3, 2004... TRACTOR manufacturer SDF (Same Deutz-Fahr) says it is on course for increasing its turnover by more than 10 per cent while net profit is expected to increase from 10 million in 2003 to 17 million for the end of this year. Production is...

New Explorer heralds the end of an era.
December 3, 2004... TRACTOR distributor SDF UK launched the Same Explorer Classic and Same Explorer New with liquid cooled engines at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair. The Tier II compliant newcomers supersede the air-cooled powered Explorer II 90 Top, which was first...

Set-specification tankers.
December 3, 2004... SLURRY equipment specialist Joskin has introduced a fixed specification range of tankers. The Belgian manufacturer offers 50 models with nearly 700 options but says that some customers may have difficulty in choosing the specification to suit...

Power tools range from Spaldings.
December 3, 2004... PARTS specialist Spaldings are introducing a range of power tools from Hitachi's industrial range. Items included are 230 volt impact drills and angle grinders covered by a 12 month warranty. The Lincolnshire based firm has also introduced...

Information and technology days help towards sprayer points.
December 3, 2004... GROWERS wanting to earn National Register of Sprayer Operator (NroSO) points will be interested to know that attending one of the four technology and information days hosted by Knight Farm Machinery will count. Topics covered at the events...

Keeping ahead of the game - by comparing with others.
December 3, 2004... SO you know exactly what every litre of milk is costing you to produce? With today's low milk prices and ever-rising costs you certainly need to, but do you also know exactly where you stand in relation to other producers? There is a...

New pork website.
December 3, 2004... A NEW British Pig Association project that will link pedigree pork producers directly to independent butchers and consumers is being launched today (Friday) at Smithfield Show. With demand for traditional breed pedigree pork growing rapidly...

Reliability is `still a problem' in trials of electronic ID systems.
December 3, 2004... THREE-QUARTERS of the way through a two year Wales-wide evaluation of livestock electronic identification systems, farmers are said to be much more confident in their use of equipment - but reliability and complexity remains a problem. The...

Finding practical solutions to changes in the beef sector.
December 3, 2004... AS THE end of the year draws near and the changes engendered by the mid- term review loom, Farmers Guardian, Keenan and St Merryn Foods have organised a series of conferences `Quality Beef Production - Solutions for the Future', specifically...

Wheat quality and harvest creates north-south divide.
December 3, 2004... THE 2004 wheat harvest final picture can be split in two, with almost all crops north of Leicestershire suffering quality and harvest problems. That is according to Dalgety seed business manager Barry Barker, who says while there were...

Hybrids lose out again in winter OSR planting.
December 3, 2004... TOTAL UK winter oilseed rape plantings are slightly up on last season at around 530,000 ha, according to detailed 2004 planting estimates from Dalgety, with hybrids continuing to lose market share to conventional varieties. From some...

`Risk model' is eyespot level alarm.
December 3, 2004... SAC has produced a risk model to help growers assess the probability of yield-damaging levels of eyespot developing in their crops. The model, which was developed with funding from HGCA, assigns `risk points' to factors that contribute to...

Consultation details released on replacement of LTAEU.
December 3, 2004... THE Horticultural Development Council has released details of its consultation on the replacement of the Long Term Arrangements for the Extension of Use (LTAEU). Under LTAEU growers of certain named minor crops are permitted to use some...

Spot of cold comfort.
December 3, 2004... PHOMA leaf spotting is expected to continue to increase in oilseed rape crops although disease development has been quite limited in areas where frost and snow have been experienced. The cold conditions have not caused much leaf damage and...

Potato harvest continuing.
December 3, 2004... THIS year's potato harvest has yet to be completed as adverse weather conditions continue to curtail final progress, says the British Potato Council. Heavy soils are now unlikely to improve and many crops still in the ground will not be...

Harrogate will host potato event.
December 3, 2004... BRITISH Potato 2005, the main business event for Great Britain's potato supply chain and allied industries, takes place at the Yorkshire Event Centre, near Harrogate, on November 30 and December 1. Event organisers the British Potato...

Put N levels on hold - brewers.
December 3, 2004... AFTER pushing up nitrogen levels in malting barley for several years, it's now time to stop, growers are being advised. "For a long time we have been trying to encourage growers to push levels of grain nitrogen up, but we don't want them to...

Huge beet yields make quota an easy target.
December 3, 2004... SUGAR beet growers are harvesting huge yields of big roots, with sugar contents that have held up well for the past six to seven weeks since peaking in mid-October. Growers are now predicting that quotas will be met easily so, like last...

Backing sugar status quo.
December 3, 2004... A leading agrochemical manufacturer has put its weight behind the industry's lobby campaign against reforms to the sugar beet industry. Growers wanting to write to their MPs and MEPs can now download, personalise and print off a pro-forma...

Probe into colour pointer on health.
December 3, 2004... SCIENTISTS at the Scottish Crop Research Institute have boosted the carotenoid levels of potatoes more than six-fold. They are investigating the theory that the colour of fruit and vegetables might be indicators of their health-giving or...

Fusarium weapon.
December 3, 2004... A microencapsulated formulation of the triazole fungicide tebuconazole performs better than the standard treatment against fusarium, it is claimed. Researchers at the University of Nottingham were funded by UK-based company Micap to test...

Talking to cut risk.
December 3, 2004... COMMUNICATION between growers and between growers and consumers is essential in the new era of farming with the Single Farm Payment, as it will help make planting decisions easier. According to Graham Lacey, marketing director of Centaur...

Warning on climate change.
December 3, 2004... THE East Midlands region, including Lincolnshire, can expect to see loss of coastal habitats and an increased likelihood of summer droughts leading to increased need for irrigation. Those were some of the warnings presented by Margaret...

Self-sufficiency policy on island family farm.
December 3, 2004... Brydon and Pam Radcliffe have no regrets about getting out of milk production two years ago. Regular sales of beef, lamb and potatoes still maintain a fairly even cash flow for the Radcliffes who farm with two of their four sons, Stephen and...

Seminar highlights challenges for agriculture in acquiring new skills.
December 3, 2004... The Farmers Club and Worshipful Company of Farmers met to discuss issues surrounding the agricultural workforce for 2020. BEN BRIGGS reports. THERE was a feeling of cautious optimism for the future opportunities for young people in farming...