Farmers Guardian articles from December 2007

Farmers Guardian archives from December 2007

Livestock industry unites against cost-sharing plan.
December 7, 2007... THE United Kingdom's livestock industry has come together in an unprecedented show of unity to plead with the Government to rethink plans to shift the cost of disease control on to farmers. Defra is due to publish a consultation document...

EU lifts FMD restrictions while live exports are set to resume.
December 7, 2007... THE EU has voted to lift all foot-and-mouth restrictions imposed on farmers following the summer outbreaks, opening the door for live exports for the first time since August. But farmers are becoming increasingly confused as regular changes...

What can be exported and when.
December 7, 2007... The SCOFCAH decision made on November 20 has now come into force. Following the decision: * The restricted exports area will merge with the free export area, allowing farmers in this zone to export meat and meat products. * The no...

Disease control `will not be affected by strike action'.
December 7, 2007... POTENTIAL strike action by animal health specialists will not affect disease control programmes currently under way, Defra has said. More than 730 members of the Prospect trade union, including vets and animal health specialists dealing...

What the industry's signatories said:.
December 7, 2007... * "TO suggest that industry should be picking up more of Defra's costs, at a time when it is in severe economic crisis is, at best, grossly insensitive. "Do we really have to remind the UK Government that the financial predicament that was...

Firm in avian flu outbreak admits biosecurity shortcomings.
December 7, 2007... REDGRAVE Poultry, the company at the centre of the Suffolk avian influenza outbreak, has admitted shortcomings in biosecurity at the poultry farms it operates. It comes after Defra's initial epidemiology report into the outbreak indicated...

Bluetongue restrictions concerns force National Holstein Show decision.
December 7, 2007... THE 2008 National Holstein Show - originally organised for April 15 - has been cancelled due to concerns over the bluetongue movement restrictions currently in place. The event is held each year at the Staffordshire Country Showground, now...

Dumfries test is negative.
December 7, 2007... TESTS for bluetongue carried out on an animal on a Dumfries farm came back negative this week. The divisional veterinary manager for the south and west of Scotland, Graeme Cochrane, however, warned that if a case was discovered in Dumfries...

EC's E187m budget to fight animal diseases.
December 7, 2007... A TOTAL of E187million will be available for the control and eradication of animal diseases in Europe next year. The European Commission has approved an increased budget to combat the spread of 10 animal diseases, including bluetongue, bird...

UFU takes legal action over Single Payment.
December 7, 2007... THE Ulster Farmers' Union has launched legal action against the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development over its implementation of the Single Payment Scheme. The union lodged papers with the High Court in Belfast, seeking leave to...

The cheques go out, but not in England.
December 7, 2007... MOST farmers in Scotland and Wales received their Single Farm Payments this week but English farmers are being made to wait. The Welsh Assembly paid out more than #141million to 76 per cent of Welsh farmers on Monday - the first day that...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Pipeline ends.
December 7, 2007... The at times highly controversial 316-km long National Grid natural gas pipeline from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, to Tirley, Gloucestershire, is officially complete. Land reinstatement work will, however, be on- going until the spring. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Upland say.
December 7, 2007... Hill farmers in the north and south Pennines and North York Moors are being urged to have their say on plans for a new upland support scheme to replace the `lifeline' Hill Farm Allowance. A second round of Government consultation is due next...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Local produce.
December 7, 2007... A new web-based initiative offering online access to some of the UK's produce, has been launched. Localfoodshop brings together everything from beef farmers to wine producers, organic vegetable suppliers to brewers. Copyright: CMP...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Appointed.
December 7, 2007... Two appointees have been announced for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and one to Brecon Beacons National Park. Joining the West Wales authority will be former Rural Affairs Minister and ex-AM, Christine Gwyther, while re-appointed is...

Investment in Essex sea defences.
December 7, 2007... Owners and managers of land on the Essex coast would be prepared to invest in sea defences rather than see 50,000 productive agricultural acres lost. Andrew St Joseph, chairman of the Managing Coastal Change project board, said it was not an...

New president for Scottish charity.
December 7, 2007... THE new honorary president of the Scottish rural charity RSABI is the 10th Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry - the fifth generation of his family to be involved with the charity. The new chairman is Balfour Thomson, a director of RSABI since...

Three-month pig levy `holiday' denied.
December 7, 2007... A PROPOSAL to give a levy `holiday' to pig producers that are facing crippling production costs has been knocked back by the Meat and Livestock Commission, who now find themselves under attack from a beleaguered industry. The British Pig...

NFU applauds planning ruling.
December 7, 2007... THE NFU has welcomed the decision by council planners to approve plans for polytunnels at a farm that was at the centre of a landmark High Court ruling last year. Last December the High Court upheld Waverley Borough Council's enforcement...

NSA condemns EID introduction by 2010.
December 7, 2007... THE National Sheep Association (NSA) said this week it was `totally frustrated and dismayed' following news that introduction of EID into the UK sheep sector might be as early as 2010. The NSA said the EU seemed determined to press on with...

Both M&S and Sainsbury's collect animal welfare awards.
December 7, 2007... MARKS & Spencer has been named Compassionate Supermarket 2007 in recognition of its efforts to source food from welfare friendly farming systems. Animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming, which organised the awards, said M&S,...

Science can offer the tools.
December 7, 2007... BRITISH farmers urgently needed all the tools that science could offer if they are to meet the 21st century's challenges, warned NFU president Peter Kendall this week. Delivering the Friends of the John Innes Centre annual lecture on the...

Scottish Government pledges financial aid for NVZ transition.
December 7, 2007... THE Scottish Government has confirmed that financial aid will be available for farmers to help deal with new demands from the European Commission to help protect against excess nitrate pollution. Measures included in the Scottish...

Food and Farming `best producers'.
December 7, 2007... TWO farmers celebrated this week as they were named `Best Producers' at this year's BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards. Peter and Henrietta Greig, of Pipers Farm, Cullompton, Devon, who run a producer group of 30 local farmers, won the...

Fine produce award.
December 7, 2007... THIRTEEN farmers using National Trust land to produce an array of high- quality food products have received the trust's Fine Farm Produce Award. As recipients of the award, now in its second year, they will now be able to use the trust's...

Compensation protection is aim of Private Member's Bill.
December 7, 2007... A PRIVATE Member's Bill, which was due to be introduced in the Commons this week would mean that animal owners would be protected from unfair compensation claims, according to the Country Land and Business Association. Under current law,...

Defra policy scrutinised by Lords.
December 7, 2007... DEFRA'S policy decisions and delivery of funding to the UK farming industry was due to come under scrutiny during a debate in the House of Lords yesterday. The debate was due to be opened by former Tory Agriculture Minister Baroness...

Charolais pavilion at Llanelwedd.
December 7, 2007... WELSH region Charolais breeders have raised #25,000 towards the British Charolais Cattle Society's new purpose-built pavilion on the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society showground, at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. The facility represents the...

Rural Minister supports retail Ombudsman idea.
December 7, 2007... WELSH Assembly Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones is giving her support to calls for a Retailers Ombudsman to regulate the activities of supermarkets. She is also pitching for the supermarket Code of Conduct to be updated and strengthened. ...

NIAB chief's fact-finding China trip.
December 7, 2007... CHIEF executive of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Prof Wayne Powell, is on a fact-finding visit to China to learn more about the country's plant breeding and genetic resources and raise NIAB's international profile. He is to...

Heavy imports from Irish Republic hits beef prices.
December 7, 2007... Imports from countries whose beef is offered at much lower prices than are paid in the UK upsets farmers because they pull down the value of finished cattle and sustain the huge, and mortally damaging, gap between production costs and market...

OPINION: Unwelcome disease gift.
December 7, 2007... It would appear the festive spirit has not permeated the corridors of power as yet - for as that time of giving and receiving draws near, a most unwelcome `gift' has been laid at the door of the livestock industry. Cost-sharing on disease...

LETTER: Selling lamb direct with price controls.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... After reading the letter, `Marts: Use them or lose them warning' (FG, November 30) I felt compelled to reply. What a statement, accusing the producer of deserting prime markets in their volumes and the huge losses incurred by the auctions,...

LETTER: Animals not a good gift.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... PAYING for farmed animals to be given to destitute communities in Africa and other hard-pressed regions might seem like a perfect gift idea. Certainly, an increasing number of aid charities are marketing animal gifts as a way of saving and...

LETTER: Sales of offal on the rise.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... GOOD news that sales of offal are on the rise in the UK (FG, November 23). Climate change is dictating that we reduce both the number of animals across the world that are farmed for human food and the miles that the food travels. The...

LETTER: Badger culling.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... I AGREE with the views expressed by Lucy Hollinshead (FG, November 30) in regards to the comments made on badger culling and their opinions of farmers by Caroline Watt, K. Green and Mary Knotts (FG November 16). It is obvious that they have...

LETTER: Fairer settlement of compensation.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... I support NFU president, Peter Kendall and his lawyers in his quest to gain a fairer settlement of compensation for livestock farmers. It is not so much the disease but the consequent costs of not being able to sell sheep at the appropriate...

LETTER: Airwave no longer part of O2.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... IT has recently come to our attention that some farmers may not be receiving the correct income from their telecom masts. O2 have, for some time, allowed a sister company, Airwave, to occupy their sites. For this they either paid nothing,...

LETTER: Not case of all or nothing.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... With so many scientific studies being published all the time about what increases or reduces your cancer risk, it is sometimes difficult to know how seriously each one should be taken. The expert report recently launched by World Cancer...

Versatility of smaller tractors plus for contractor with diverse jobs.
December 7, 2007... With a varied workload that spans all year round, JJ Contracting needs reliable kit that does not cost the earth. Dominic Kilburn reports on their Zetor Proxima Plus that was launched earlier this year. IF THERE was an award for the...

MACHINERY: T7000 wins tractor of the year award.
December 7, 2007... New Holland has not only won the Tractor Of The Year title but also Golden Tractor for Design award with the T7000 range of tractors. The award is judged by a panel of farm machinery journalists and specialists from 20 countries across...

MACHINERY: Variable pitch fan offers fuel savings.
December 7, 2007... THERE is now a wider choice of reversible engine cooling fans for the UK market thanks to Stoke-on-Trent based Tim Walters Engineering who are importing the Flexxaire Fan System from Canada. The AX fan can be connected to the engine's...

MACHINERY: LANDQUIP DEMOUNT SPRAYERS.
December 7, 2007... LANDQUIP has updated its range of demount sprayers to match with the JCB Fastrac's load platform such as that on the 3000 series. These new sprayers feature a wider back frame that allows the parallel booms to fold alongside the cab to...

MACHINERY: Slide sledge.
December 7, 2007... THOSE who tire of reaching for the sledge hammer might find the US- designed Slide Sledge a safer, more accurate alternative. Delivering an impact force of up to 15,000psi, this sliding bar-type hammer has reduced sledge hammer and tool...

MACHINERY: MAKITA CORDLESS IMPACT WRENCH.
December 7, 2007... NEED some fast-acting muscle to crack some tightly wound nuts and bolts in the middle of nowhere? Then a cordless impact wrench makes sense. Makita's 24-volt BTW200 offers a maximum torque of 200Nm when in high speed, and 150Nm in its...

MACHINERY: MULTI-FUNCTION TOOL.
December 7, 2007... ANOTHER Truecraft favourite is this stainless steel multi-function tool that costs #13.38+vat. Combining 12 functions in one, the Multi Tool combines blunt nose pliers and wire cutters in a folding head. Built into the handles are...

MACHINERY: OIL SEAL PICK SET.
December 7, 2007... A handy tool that can be carried about your person. THIS four-piece assortment of hooks and picks is primarily intended for workshop use when fingers and pliers are either too big, clumsy or aggressive when removing `O' rings, cotter pins,...

MACHINERY: DRAPER VORTEX HOLLOW SOCKETS.
December 7, 2007... CLEVERLY, Draper's Expert series of Vortex socket sets are hollow. It means long, threaded fixings can pass through the centre of the socket and ratchet, solving endless access problems encountered with traditional square drive socket systems...

MACHINERY: INSPECTION KIT.
December 7, 2007... TELESCOPIC inspection and retrieval kits seldom come as gadget-packed as this one. A soft-grip handle and telescopic shaft that extends to 650mm comes with a quick-release locking system and four useful attachments that can be secured into...

MACHINERY: GREASE NIPPLE CLEANER.
December 7, 2007... DESIGNED to clean and unblock grease nipples, this is one gadget that everyone should have. Simply withdraw the piston pin from the tool body, fill with a light oil, then replace the piston pin. Turn it upside down and tap the piston...

MACHINERY: TORQUE MULTIPLIER.
December 7, 2007... THOSE who can never find a long enough bar or suitable wrench to tighten forager blades, axle bolts or even loose wheel nuts - or indeed shift a difficult or seized fastener - might find this torque multiplier a useful addition to the farm...

MACHINERY: Pocket-sized circuit tester.
December 7, 2007... ELECTRICAL testers are invaluable for finding wiring faults and checking electrical systems. More so when tractor and implement lights need to be dependable in the winter months and this battery powered model is small enough to pop into a...

MACHINERY: Locking adjustable.
December 7, 2007... WE all know how useful an adjustable can be, but the frustration of having one slip around the flats of a nut or bolt is nothing more than tedious. Stanley appears to have solved the problem, by introducing a locking adjustable. The tool...

MACHINERY: Transporting and storing diesel: Keep it secure with care.
December 7, 2007... Diesel is the lifeblood of machinery operation - and is now a valuable commodity which needs to be stored securely and handled with care. Andy Collings takes a look at the latest requirements. There will be those, perhaps, who recall...

MACHINERY: Filter your fuel before it gets in the tractor.
December 7, 2007... Dirty fuel is bad news - it blocks up filters, reduces fuel flow and eventually causes airlocks which need bleeding through. Bleeding fuel systems through is not a pleasant pastime. Bearing in mind the main source of dirty fuel is usually...

ARABLE: Oospores pose threat of massive infection levels.
December 7, 2007... BLIGHT outbreaks caused by oospores are quite different to those caused by infected tubers, Dutch potato blight expert Dr Huup Schepers told growers attending a Certis-organised blight seminar at British Potato 2007. Oospores tended to...

ARABLE: Best practice advised as A2 blight strain gains dominance.
December 7, 2007... The British Potato Council-organised British Potato 2007 event at Harrogate provided the industry with the chance to reflect on this season's extraordinary growing conditions. Visitor numbers were up and confidence was high. Report by Teresa...

ARABLE: Targeted fungicide applications `more effective'.
December 7, 2007... A proactive approach to fungicide targeting is more effective than planning fungicide programmes ahead, according to research conducted by SAC. Trials funded by Bayer CropScience and conducted during 2006 and 2007 sought to investigate the...

ARABLE: New foliar insecticide targets all.
December 7, 2007... ALL species of aphids in potatoes should now be able to be controlled with a new foliar insecticide launched at the event by manufacturer, Syngenta. Containing active ingredient, thiamethoxam formulated as a water dispersible granule,...

ARABLE: McCain say stores are holding up.
December 7, 2007... DESPITE all of the pressures of the 2007 growing season, stored potatoes are now holding up fairly well for processors, says McCain Foods agronomy manager, Andy Goodwin. "Blight pressure in crops this year was one of the highest on record...

ARABLE: Identifying high cost areas can provide savings.
December 7, 2007... FOCUSING on how much energy has been used each month in the potato store could provide some significant on-farm cost savings. That was the message from Andrew Kneeshaw, FEC Services, when he addressed the issue of energy use in storage at...

ARABLE: Recognising the chairman's efforts.
December 7, 2007... BRITISH Potato Council chairman David Walker is the winner of the British Potato Industry Award 2007. Presenting the award at the BPC's BP 2007 event, in Harrogate, Janet Godfrey, a past chairman of the Women's Food and Farming Union,...

FARM FEATURE: Making and selling specialist cheese direct to consumer.
December 7, 2007... What do you get if you put the expertise of a family unit of dairy farmers together with an experienced, local food producer? WILLIAM SURMAN visits the makers of Sussex Charmer and discovers why simple cheese-making methods are at the forefront...

Care for their communities.
December 7, 2007... Wales YFC members were out in force at this year's Welsh Winter Fair with an array of competitions from to calf rearing and announcing the winners of three prestigious awards. Farmers Guardian was there to catch up with the action. THE...

Good eye for stock.
December 7, 2007... CARMARTHEN Federation members triumphed in the overall honours within the Wales YFC Beef and Lamb stockjudging competitions with a grand total of 30 points. They were closely followed by Shropshire Federation with 28 points and Gwent...

Determination to succeed impresses enterprise judges.
December 7, 2007... CARMARTHEN YFC member Chris Powell has scooped #800 after he was announced as this year's winner of NatWest Cymru Enterprise Scheme. Chris, from Llanfynydd in Carmarthenshire, runs his own building and carpentry business and impressed...

YFC NEWS ROUND-UP: Agriscot triumph for Jersey.
December 7, 2007... A JERSEY team of young farmers have taken top honours in the Agriscot Super Team Competition. After a virtual stockjudging competition, written sire selection exercise and reason giving, the Jersey team of Andrew Currie, William Boyd and...

YFC NEWS ROUND-UP: Christmas cheer in a box.
December 7, 2007... MEMBERS of the Bedfordshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs are already getting into the festive spirit by helping to drive this year's Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. The appeal is run by Samaritan's Purse and sends shoeboxes...

Dylan's calf-rearing award in spite of some stiff competition.
December 7, 2007... DYLAN Jones of Cwmann YFC reared the supreme champion in the Wales YFC / NatWest Calf Rearing competition with Gareth Lewis of Trefeglwys YFC, Montgomery rearing the reserve supreme champion. Enfys Evans, Wales YFC Activities and...

YFC NEWS ROUND-UP: Going off-road in Yorkshire.
December 7, 2007... AROUND 100 members of the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers competed on a demanding off-road course when they attended a landrover rally at Rudding Park, Harrogate. First place went to Ed Nelson of Silsden with Skipton YFC, while Matt...

YFC NEWS ROUND-UP: In memory of Will Boffey.(Obituary)
December 7, 2007... FARMERS Guardian would like to point out that the charity calendar produced by Nantwich Young Farmers is in memory of Will Boffey and not Will Bassey as printed in last week's newspaper. There was no involvement from the NFU with the...

First win for Sharon Bolland and Fly - two victories for Jim Cropper.
December 7, 2007... AFTER gaining numerous placings this season, Sharon Bolland and Fly took their first win on Saturday. At the Yorkshire Society's fourth nursery trial the running was on Dalesbred ewes at Baudshaw Farm, Blubberhouses, with an entry of 36...

An easy win for Brecknock.
December 7, 2007... THE counties that make up Powys, Brecon, Montgomery and Radnor, sent teams of 10 dogs to the Powys Nursery Final. Six dogs from each competed in the nursery class and four in the novice in very cold and often wet conditions. Brecon...

COUNTRY VIEW: An hour in the December garden.
December 7, 2007... December is the oddest month - some days as mild as spring, others as bitingly cold as any in the year. But there are plenty of things to be getting on with, not least picking sprouts and planting onions, writes Paul Peacock. The short...

Out-wintering beef sucklers on the hills.
December 7, 2007... Having looked at lowland trial plots and farm situations, the SAC/Quality Meat Scotland beef suckler cow out-wintering project has shifted its emphasis to hill farming. NEIL RYDER attended an open day to find out what has been happening on a...

Chose the wrong stock bull and you could lose out by up to #45/calf.
December 7, 2007... This week we look at two different issues linked to bulls - fertility and Estimated Breeding Values. CLEMMIE GLEESON finds out how electro- ejaculation can reveal just how well a bull is performing while Ann Hardy reports on an EBV research...

Suckler herds falling short of potential.
December 7, 2007... Electro-ejaculation a means of identifying infertile or sub-fertile bulls MANY suckler herds are falling short of their potential and bull fertility may be playing a part in that, according to vet Tom Hume, from the Westover Veterinary...

CASE STUDY: Beef farmer learns hard way when testing for fertility.(Case study)
December 7, 2007... BEEF farmer Eddie Morgan-Evans has learnt the hard way when it comes to testing bulls for fertility. Three years ago he bought an Aberdeen-Angus bull that he ran with his herd of 150 suckler cows at Wickmere, north Norfolk, without testing...

Western Holstein's split sale sees peak of 3,900gns.
December 7, 2007... THE Western Holstein Club's monthly show and sale attracted an entry of 192 cows and milking heifers and four bulls. For the first time the sale took place at two venues on consecutive days. Firstly, animals from inside the bluetongue...

Champions lead the way at Otley.
December 7, 2007... AT Otley Wharfedale Auction's Christmas show and sale of primestock, sponsored by Farmers Guardian, the supreme championship went to a home- bred Belgian Blue cross steer consigned by J.H. Stevenson and Son, Farnley, Otley. The animal...

Puleston Beltex dispersal trade hit by bluetongue restrictions.
December 7, 2007... BLUETONGUE restrictions affected trade at the Puleston Beltex flock dispersal for Gordon Belcher, Shifnal, Shropshire. The flock, which was being dispersed on farm just inside the restriction zone, was being sold due to Mr Belcher's...

Cairness ewe tops trade at Suffolks sale.
December 7, 2007... CONSIGNMENTS from the Wells, Cairness and Whinhall flocks peaked at 1,300gns at a sale of in-lamb Suffolks at Carlisle. Leading the bidding was a Glenho Golan daughter from J.G. Douglas' Cairness flock, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. The ewe,...

In-lamb Suffolks to 680gns.
December 7, 2007... THE champion at a show and sale of in-lamb Suffolks at Abergavenny Mart sold for 680gns. The sale topper was a ewe from Stuart Davies, Lower Chapel, Brecon. The two-year-old Rosepark Copper U'll Do daughter, was in-lamb to Strathisla Lucky...

Half go in excess of 2,000gns.
December 7, 2007... THE Lancashire Holstein Club's November show and sale at Lancaster saw half the entry realise 2,000gns or more. Show champion Kenbow Bluebird Laceylike from J.Burrow and Son, Barton, Preston, was knocked down for 2,700gns to Aubrey...