Farmers Guardian articles from December 2006

Farmers Guardian archives from December 2006

Visit to a farm planned for every schoolchild.
December 1, 2006... EVERY schoolchild in England will be given the opportunity to visit a farm under ambitious plans to reconnect young people with where and how their food is produced. A `Year of Food and Farming', officially launched on Wednesday and set to...

Ministers want new animal welfare supermarket labels.
December 1, 2006... A LABEL denoting animal welfare standards could soon be appearing on supermarket food, if Ministers get their way. Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw is asking UK supermarkets to introduce a new animal welfare labelling system, ahead of...

Budget cuts could hit AHW strategy.
December 1, 2006... THE group charged with implementing the Animal Health and Welfare (AHW) Strategy in England has warned that major cuts to Defra's budget could compromise the strategy. In its first progress report, the England Implementation Group (EIG)...

Hosting a school visit?
December 1, 2006... A MAJOR part of the Year of Food and Farming announced by Defra this week will be about connecting schools with farmers and food producers. This will involve more farm visits by school children and also, more visits to schools by farmers to...

CAP reform challenged.
December 1, 2006... DEFRA's ambitions for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could jeopardise animal welfare and its sustainable food and farming policy, claimed an independent think-tank this week. Calling for a rethink on the joint...

Tougher times ahead for fallen stock scheme.
December 1, 2006... SO far, so good; but things are about to get tougher. That was the message from National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) chairman Michael Seals on the second anniversary of the carcase disposal scheme. After a sticky start, the National Fallen...

No inspection or approval body for livestock haulage yet.
December 1, 2006... DEFRA has not yet appointed any bodies to inspect and approve livestock transport vehicles in accordance with new EU rules, which come into force on January 5. This is despite the fact the rules were drafted two years ago. Hauliers and...

Tanker contamination insurance cost could rise.
December 1, 2006... DAIRY UK expects the EU will lift infringement proceedings against the UK Government, following the Food and Veterinary Office's inspection of various UK dairy processing plants last week. But some producers fear the cost of insuring...

Three bulls die in Channel crossing.
December 1, 2006... AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after three bulls died during a Channel crossing. Trading standards is looking into the incident where a vehicle from the farmer-backed live export co-operative Anglo European Farmers (AEFC) overturned on...

Single Payments start this week - except in England.
December 1, 2006... SINGLE Payments were due to start arriving in bank accounts across the UK today (December 1) - except, of course, in England. Three-quarters of farmers in Wales were expected to receive their money on the opening day of the payment window....

Outwintering beef trials onto commercial farms.
December 1, 2006... AFTER two years of college based trials, SAC's work on extended outwintering of beef cattle has moved out on to the commercial farm situation for its third year. Three farms are to be the subject of farm walks over the coming month. The...

`Look further afield' the NBA advises South West finishers.
December 1, 2006... GET organised and move your finished cattle out of the area if you want better prices - that is the advice to South West beef finishers from the National Beef Association. The organisation remains dismayed that deadweight returns in the...

Europe set to follow the UK lead on transparency.
December 1, 2006... THE UK pioneered the way for making information about CAP payments public, and now the rest of the EU will follow suit. The data will still be compiled by national governments, with a link to it available from the European Commission web...

Registering land is important.
December 1, 2006... THE Land Registry is launching a campaign to encourage farmers to register their land - a really important issue, it says, even if the land has been in a family for generations. A 25 per cent discount is being offered for anyone registering...

Now illegal to use unlicensed gangmasters.
December 1, 2006... FROM today, anybody who uses an unlicensed labour provider operating in farming and food processing sectors will be committing a criminal offence. Those who break the new law are facing penalties of up to 6 months imprisonment, a #5,000...

Consultation on Levy Boards comes to an end.
December 1, 2006... THE fundamental review of the UK Levy Boards by Defra and the consultation process with farmers and processors expired on Thursday. In June 2006 Defra announced the radical restructuring of the existing levy boards, with a new levy board...

Learning from the past for a British farming future.
December 1, 2006... On a trip to the South East, David Miliband took some time out to talk to Dan Stewart about dairy farming, biofuels and delays to single payments, and rural developments. You visited an organic dairy farm today. Some might say that's quite...

Investment in Northern Foods.
December 1, 2006... THE arable sector received some potentially good news this week with the announcement of the proposed acquisition of four Northern Foods businesses by Vision Capital, an independent investment firm that says it wants to put money into the...

Play your part in stamping out fraud, egg producers told.
December 1, 2006... Delegates at the British Free-Range Egg Producers' Association's annual conference had plenty to ponder in the wake of the egg labelling fraud scandal and the move by packers to import French eggs. ALISTAIR DRIVER and VIC ROBERTSON report from...

Free range eggs `in danger of becoming another commodity on sale'.
December 1, 2006... FREE range egg producers have been warned that winning back market share in the wake of recent adverse publicity may not be that easy. The main problem is not connected to the alleged labelling scare, Willi Kalhammer, chairman of the...

What the producers said.
December 1, 2006... Free-range egg producers attending the conference spoke out on the two big issues facing their industry - French imports and alleged labelling fraud. Gerard davies, old Hendre Farm, monmouthshire "We are disgusted if this alleged fraud...

Reminder on NVZ limits.
December 1, 2006... FARMERS are being reminded that the limits for spreading manure in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are changing this month. From December 19, the whole farm organic manure loading limit, for any areas of the farm not in grass, will drop...

Protect watercourses, groups urge.
December 1, 2006... A COALITION of environmental and angling groups has called for tougher regulation on farmers to protect the UK's watercourses. The group, which claims to represent 6 million people, wants a levy on `damaging agricultural chemicals' in place...

Biofuels debate is mirroring the GM saga.
December 1, 2006... UK FARMERS are increasingly at risk of being left behind in the biofuels market. Debate over the new technology is now developing in a similar way to that which enveloped GM crops. And if the indecision continues, the NFU believes UK...

Reality of the rhetoric.
December 1, 2006... EU member states and the European Commission have all announced ambitious plans for the development of biofuels, but an American researcher has warned that Europe is unlikely to even get close to its target of 5.75 per cent of vehicle fuels...

In love with the bird that everyone else hates.
December 1, 2006... I have kept almost every sort of poultry over the years - I've even had one or two run-ins with ostriches, which were interesting to say the least - but the bird that I like most is the one that everyone else hates - the goose. I sometimes...

OPINION: An outdoor classroom.
December 1, 2006... Asking round the FG office today for memories of school visits to farms as a child, one answer particularly struck home. This journalist, like many at the paper, comes from a farming background and after a prolonged nagging campaign as a...

Sisters take YFC trophy hat-trick and overall title.
December 1, 2006... When Anglesey Agricultural Society held their first winter show, they saw it as a `thank you' to those who had supported their summer event. They also saw it as a relatively small, friendly, event where young people would be encouraged to take...

Heifer Mini Me leads way at Ingliston.
December 1, 2006... While the underlying problems facing both the beef and sheep industries were never far away, there remained a buoyant air to the Scottish Winter Fair at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh. NEIL RYDER reports. JUST a week after...

New association could `go its own way' if support isn't forthcoming.
December 1, 2006... A PLEDGE that the newly-formed Scottish Beef Cattle Association would `go quietly its own way' if its members and the Scottish beef industry did not believe it deserved their support, came from the Association's president, John Cameron at a...

Optimism is crucial, advises NFU leader.
December 1, 2006... WHILE farming faced its problems, it was important to be optimistic and to produce good products while working to get the business sustainable without the help of the SPS, NFU Scotland vice-president, Bob Howat, said at a fair `Question Time'...

DVD message links profit to health plans.
December 1, 2006... QUALITY Meat Scotland, SEERAD and SAC came together to launch a `unique' DVD demonstrating how effective animal health planning can make a significant improvement to the profitability of a livestock business. Johnny Mackey, of QMS, said...

Jim's a cut above in ribs contest.
December 1, 2006... WINNER of the Royal Smithfield Club's beef ribs competition at the Scottish Winter Fair, was an entry from Jim Brown, of Airdrie. A former dairy farmer, Mr Brown dispersed his pedigree Holstein herd last year to concentrate on beef production....

Figures from QMS back NBA position.
December 1, 2006... THE universal depth of loss confirmed by new figures from QMS, reinforced the National Beef Association's (NBA) original position that only a market average of around 260p per kg deadweight for prime cattle could secure continued output at...

Supreme Belgian Blue sells for #4,500.
December 1, 2006... ROSEMARY Hamilton's supreme champion, the heavyweight Belgian Blue cross Limousin heifer tipped the scales at 670kg and sold for #4,500 to judge, Billy Glazebrook on behalf of Highland Meats at the Scottish Winter Fair sale. Scottsh...

Cattle championship stays in Wales for the first time in years.
December 1, 2006... BARRY ALSTON reports from another record-breaking two-day Royal Welsh Winter Fair which, despite atrocious weather, saw the attendance climb to 26,996 - 1,329 higher than the 2004 previous best. FOR the first time in many years the Royal...

Beltex crosses dominate lamb carcase entries.
December 1, 2006... TRUE to form, Beltex crosses dominated the top awards in the lamb carcase competition - described by the judges Bryan George, from Talgarth, Brecon and Ray Holmes, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent - as `superb'. Heading up a remarkable entry of...

Beef ribs competition awards.
December 1, 2006... LIMOUSIN crosses took the championship and reserve awards in the beef ribs competition. Out in front was a June 2005-born Limousin cross Limousin-Hereford steer from T.A. Hughes, of Cwmhendryd, Lampeter, Ceredigion, that had weighed in at 311...

Husband and wife team take singles and pairs pig honours.
December 1, 2006... Honours in the pig classes went to husband and wife team Gerallt and Joyce Owens, of Llannon, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire - taking not only the singles championship award but the trophy for pairs as well. With Welsh entries from their Lletty...

Nuffield Scholar and bursary.
December 1, 2006... * WINNER of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's Nuffield Scholarship is Neil Perkins, of Dinas Island Farm, Dinas, near Newport, Pembrokeshire. * THE Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's bursary award to enable young people to attend the...

Call for `urgent and real' action on TB.
December 1, 2006... OFFICIALLY opening the Winter Fair, well-known Montgomeryshire beef and sheep farmer Tom Tudor said that livestock farming had never been easy and producers seemed to have had their share of problems over the past 10 years. Looking in the...

Beltex ewe lambs bring a repeat supreme victory.
December 1, 2006... TWO purebred Beltex ewe lambs brought a repeat supreme sheep judging ring victory of two years ago for the West Wales husband and wife team of Michael and Heulwen Owens in a sparkling multi-breed turnout of some pairs. Not only did the...

Red meat sales soar.
December 1, 2006... RED meat sales are soaring in Wales, with lamb proving increasingly popular and showing an increase of 17 per cent on last year - compared to only a 1 per cent rise in the whole of Great Britain. The value of lamb purchased in Wales,...

Julie is named Woman Farmer of the Year.
December 1, 2006... THE new NFU Cymru-NatWest Wales Woman Farmer of the Year is Julie Davies, of Glwydcaenewydd Farm, Crai, near Brecon, Powys. Chosen from a shortlist of three, she has played an active role on the family's 300-acre beef and sheep farm for 17...

John Gittins award winner.
December 1, 2006... A LEADING figure in sheep farming for more than 50 years, Capt Nick Archdale, of Nannerch, Mold, Flintshire, is this year's winner of the John Gittins Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to the Welsh sheep industry. ...

MACHINERY: Guardian of the field.
December 1, 2006... Lower centre of gravity and new tank shape make new sprayer the Guardian of the field Having launched the Sentry trailed sprayer earlier this year Chafer Machinery has used this experience to develop the Guardian range. Mervyn Bailey...

MACHINERY: Cut costs with side knife says Spaldings.
December 1, 2006... SPALDINGS now owns the JT Engineering combine side knife after buying the assets, design rights, works in progress and manufacturing rights from the Sheffield-based business. Available to fit most makes of combine, Spaldings has been...

MACHINERY: Taller bales help maximise straw loads.
December 1, 2006... VICON has extended its LB big square baler range with the LB12290, which produces a 90cm high 120cm wide bale. Tim Baker, Vicon's technical manager explains that hauliers can stack the 90cm bales four high on a standard 1m high flatbed,...

MACHINERY: Replacing acid with flail and spray to improve performance.
December 1, 2006... Supplying one of Scotland's leading packers with quality potatoes from long-term storage requires attention to detail at the haulm removal stage, prior to lifting. Angus potato farmer Hugh Niven, who grows 500 acres of main crop potatoes...

MACHINERY: Visibility-controls fit bill for Househam sprayer line-up.
December 1, 2006... Househam Sprayers, recognising perhaps that its self-propelled sprayers were in need of a facelift, is giving each one a new cab and control system. The line-up, which includes versions having capacities from 2,000 litres to 6,000 litres,...

ARABLE: Maximising margins from renewable energy.
December 1, 2006... OPPORTUNITIES in renewable energy were becoming large-scale. The challenge was how to maximise gross margin per hectare from it, said speaker Dr Anthony White of Climate Change Capital. "You are the people with land. The question is; what...

ARABLE: Climate change is here to stay, says Gummer.
December 1, 2006... A capacity crowd of 450 attended the conference `Commercial Opportunities in Renewable Energy' in Birmingham. Alison Lea reports. WHETHER or not you believe that climate change is happening is becoming irrelevant - you must still take it...

ARABLE: Examples of renewable technologies.
December 1, 2006... Ground Source heat pumps Karl Drage of Geothermal International said this technology worked by burying heat exchangers in the ground. "These drop the temperature of the ground and raise the temperature of the building. "We are all...

ARABLE: Planning policy key to `greener' buildings.
December 1, 2006... CLAIRE Bonham-Carter of Faber Maunsell's Sustainable Energy Group provided compelling evidence that planning policy was becoming a powerful driver for the generation of green energy and for developers to ensure that their buildings were...

ARABLE: Five newcomers on the peas recommended list.
December 1, 2006... The 2007 Recommended Lists for field peas and beans were revealed at pulse specialists Dunns at Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. Teresa Rush reports. FIVE new pea varieties have joined the Recommended List of field peas for combining for 2007....

ARABLE: Only one new winter bean.
December 1, 2006... JUST one new variety joins the Recommended List of winter beans for 2007, taking the number of varieties to five. Arthur is a black hilum bean and is added to the list with a yield rating of 105, three points above second ranked Wizard....

ARABLE: Profits can be made due to the undersupply of pulses.
December 1, 2006... PEAS and beans have fallen out of favour in recent seasons as a result of disappointing yields, quality and price rises for other crops. However, the pulse market is considerably undersupplied, premium markets offer real profit...

ARABLE: Fuego and Ben make full list.
December 1, 2006... SPRING beans may be the most widely grown pulse crop at present but here were no new varieties added to the Recommended List for 2007 and there is no new material progressing through the RL trials system. Changes to the list for 2007 saw...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Improvement in resistance leads to cost savings.
December 1, 2006... IMPROVED downy mildew resistance is likely to mean considerable savings in disease control costs for spring bean growers. Fungicide costs per application are typically #40/hectare. A resistant variety, with a resistance rating or 7 or...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Better drought tolerance could be achieved.
December 1, 2006... DROUGHT tolerance of spring beans may be improved using genetic material sourced from beans grown in drier climates. PGRO and the John Innes Centre are studying the performance of a very large-seeded bean, grown in Spain and Portugal, under...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Joint effort to promote pulses.
December 1, 2006... PGRO and Syngenta are holding a series of meetings focusing on the strengths of pulse crops and their profit opportunities they offer in an under-supplied market place. The meeting venues and dates are: January 8 - PGRO, Peterborough....

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Good resistance to ascochyta.
December 1, 2006... ALL of the recommended and provisionally recommended varieties on the winter bean Recommended List have good resistance to aschochyta, which should mean that re-infection of soil from bean crops decreases, says Simon Kightley of NIAB. ...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Decline in bean export varieties.
December 1, 2006... BEAN varieties suitable for export include the spring beans Fuego, Ben, Quattro and Synchro plus the winter bean Wizard. The number of varieties suitable for export is declining, down from seven in 2006 to four in 2007 and "soon down to...

Farm feature: Focus at the Mill on mix for quality beef finishing.
December 1, 2006... Ditching grass in favour of potatoes and oranges may sound like a crazy idea, but it is exactly what beef farmer Bill Sabin has done. JOANNE PUGH went to meet a man whose radical diet changes have brought great results. Catalysts for...

Youngstock: University is `much more than just a research centre'.
December 1, 2006... Having just picked up The Times `Higher Education Institution of the Year' award, things are looking good at the University of Nottingham - an ideal time for ANGELA CALVERT to find out what opportunities there are for agricultural students. ...

Youngstock: George Martin.
December 1, 2006... GEORGE Martin from Chinley, near Buxton works as a farm contractor and dry stonewaller. He said: "I have found it quite useful. I am looking for grants which are available for training and towards capital costs." Copyright: CMP Information...

Youngstock: Hannah Brady.
December 1, 2006... HANNAH Brady already has some of her own suckler cows on the family farm at Kniveton and hopes to market her own beef. She said: "I am looking for something else which I can do on the farm, which will provide me with my own income, so I...

Youngstock: Key to business success is customer satisfaction.
December 1, 2006... Setting up a successful business can be an incredibly duanting task, but also offers great satisfaction and a sustainable future in agirculture, as Angela Calvert found out at a 'rural opportunities' conference CUSTOMER satisfaction is the...

Youngstock: Rob Jones.
December 1, 2006... ROB Jones, Pathfinder officer, who is based at the Rural Action Zone office in Bakewell. He said: "The evening has exceeded all our expectations. "People have travelled from as far away as Cheshire and Manchester, which proves there is...

Youngstock: Wayne brothers.
December 1, 2006... BROTHERS Matthew, Mark and Edward Wayne are from a family beef and dairy farm at Ible, near Matlock. As well as working at home they all do other available work, such as landscaping, driving machinery and working on other farms. Edward...

Youngstock News in Brief: Embrace technological advances.
December 1, 2006... SIR Ben Gill has urged students at Bishop Burton College, East Yorkshire to embrace technological advances in the industry and take part in next year's Great North Meet. Speaking to a group of degree students, Sir Ben was optimistic about...

Youngstock News in Brief: Glowing Ofsted report.
December 1, 2006... A GLOWING Ofsted report has seen Reaseheath College, Nantwich, Cheshire named as an `outstanding' specialist college and one of the best general colleges in the country. Reaseheath was awarded the top grade in all key areas and described...

Youngstock News in Brief: Calendar to raise money.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... STUDENTS at Harper Adams University College, Shropshire, have been busy stripping off - all in the name of charity. A group of agricultural students have published a 2007 nude calendar to raise money for the Shropshire Air Ambulance, a...

Youngstock News in Brief: New qualification available.
December 1, 2006... At Harper Adams, a new qualification is now available thanks to a partnership with MDS, the graduate training organisation for the fresh food and produce industry. MDS has launched the post-graduate certificate in food and fresh produce...

Youngstock News in Brief: Transformation at Hadlow College.
December 1, 2006... THE three-year transformation at Hadlow College, Kent has been recognised with the institution named as runner-up in the public sector section of the 2007 Accountancy Age Awards. Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, Hadlow's head of finance and resources,...

Youngstock News in Brief: Foundation degree.
December 1, 2006... THE Environment Agency is urging people to consider its two-year foundation degree in river and coastal engineering so it can recruit engineers and technicians to help tackle the effect of climate change in the UK. The course combines...

Youngstock News in Brief: Students awarded scholarships.
December 1, 2006... TWO Harper Adams students have also been awarded scholarships from the Shropshire Group, a leading European supplier of fresh produce to supermarkets. Michael Snelson, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, and Will Baker, from Worksop,...

WORKING DOGS: Moss calms `speeding sheep' in North Wales nursery win.
December 1, 2006... NOT even the threat of the worst storms of the winter kept a large crowd away from the North Wales Nursery championship. As it happens the bad weather did not materialised although the wind gave a chill touch to the day. This annual...

WORKING DOGS: Safety first is right option for Sweep in nursery trial.
December 1, 2006... HAROLD Loates took the nursery title with Sweep and Dennis Hudson with Fly won the novice class at Bamford's third and final trial this season. Running was on Mule ewes over a flat course at Shatton, Derbyshire. Over the outfield the sheep...

Country View: School Milk Project reaches milestone through Tamzin.
December 1, 2006... A FIVE-YEAR old from the West Midlands has become the 300,000th child in Great Britain to benefit from the Milk Development Council's School Milk Project. Tamzin Johnson, who attends Foley Infants in Kinver, secured the title of 300,000th...

Country View: Woodlands adding value.
December 1, 2006... THREE Perthshire farmers have received a cash boost from Forestry Commission Scotland as part of its Adding Value to Farm Woodlands pilot grant scheme. The #100,000 project is designed to help farmers find new ways to make the most of...

Country View: Half a century old and still winning awards.
December 1, 2006... BARRY Gardiner, MP, Minister for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs has paid tribute to the Northumberland National Park Authority in its efforts to combine care for the landscape with the encouragement of sustainable tourism during a...

Country View: Children's books inspired by inquisitive goat.
December 1, 2006... WHEN one of her goats got stuck in a tree, Loraine Makowski-Heaton, decided to put the unusual event into print - and has just launched the first in a series of children's books based on her own herd of goats. The founder of the `Kid Me...

Country View: An hour in the December garden.
December 1, 2006... December is a time of planning and presents. Although the garden might seem to be falling quickly into a stupor, there is still plenty to do and plenty to plan for next year. Paul Peacock takes a look at a few pressies for the garden, and how...