Farmers Guardian articles from February 2007

Farmers Guardian archives from February 2007

Fully funded scrapie testing `no longer appropriate'.
February 2, 2007... THE sheep industry has been given 12 months to decide what it wants to do about scrapie testing following a decision that full Government funding of a ram genotyping scheme (RGS) is no longer appropriate. In consultation with stakeholders...

Incomes up 10pc, but core farming in the red.
February 2, 2007... FARM incomes rose by 10 per cent in 2006 but the industry is still not in a position to break even without Government support, official figures published this week show. Total Income from Farming (TIFF) figures showed overall income across...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Red light for health lab merger.
February 2, 2007... The Government's two main animal health laboratories will not be merging in the immediate future. Defra said the Institute for Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency would remain `separate organisations, while actively continuing...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Full payments.
February 2, 2007... More than 20,000 farmers received their full 2006 Single Payment in January. The RPA said this week that 21,940 payments had been made so far. Partial payments will begin in mid-February to those who have not received a full payment by that...

NEWS IN BRIEF: UK modulation.
February 2, 2007... The European Commission has confirmed it will allow the UK to implement additional voluntary modulation to balance its rural development budget. It may use the 2008 CAP health check to introduce a higher basic EU modulation rate, with no...

`Crunch time' for NRoSO members on 30 CPD points.
February 2, 2007... NATIONAL Register of Sprayer Operator members are urged to ensure they have achieved the required 30 continuing professional development points before their membership is up for renewal and to ensure they return renewal forms in good time. ...

Meat and dairy `bad for the environment'.
February 2, 2007... DEFRA was forced to backtrack this week after appearing to warn consumers off eating meat and dairy products. A Government website, launched to advise people how to be greener, warned people that livestock production is bad for the...

Summary of income figures.
February 2, 2007... Total Income From Farming (TIFF) Income generated by production within the agriculture industry, including subsidies, it represents business profits plus remuneration for work done by owners and other unpaid workers. Overall: * UK...

NFU switches lobbying efforts to wildlife cull.
February 2, 2007... THE NFU is shifting all its lobbying efforts to a wildlife cull after accepting defeat of its attempt to stop the extension of compulsory pre- movement testing (PrMT) to cattle over six weeks old. Publishing the results of a public survey...

German farmers lead the way.
February 2, 2007... GERMAN farmers are by far the biggest investors in bioenergy amongst European countries, according to a major survey. Biofuels and biogas were the dominant technologies in Germany while in the UK the focus was much more on wind, according...

Soil Association mulls over Holstein breed ban.
February 2, 2007... THE SOIL Association is looking at banning Holstein breeds from organic milk production. Speaking at the organic body's annual conference in Cardiff, director Patrick Holden said he thought they should, `seriously consider it' because of...

Pre-August 1996 cattle threat to beef export status.
February 2, 2007... THE UK's hard-earned beef export status could be threatened if cattle born before August 1996 continue to be presented at abattoirs, farmers were warned this week. The warning came as the Food Standards Agency announced that a cow,...

Consumers want fresh meat country of origin - survey.
February 2, 2007... MORE than half of consumers want to see food retailers displaying fresh meat in separate, clearly marked shelf space by country of origin, according to an NOP survey for the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex). The same survey found 60...

Advice on cattle passports.
February 2, 2007... National Beef Association chairman Duff Burrell has issued advice to farmers about the handling of pre-August 1996 cattle. "Our advice to everyone who keeps cows is to help the industry avoid this problem by sorting through their passports...

Sheep `smokies' evaluation on-going, says FSA.
February 2, 2007... QUESTIONS are being asked as to when a trade potentially worth millions of pounds a year to UK sheep farmers is likely to be legalised. Despite a thriving black market among the ethnic communities of Britain's mixed culture towns and cities,...

Still `wait and see' on Tir Mynydd payment cutbacks.
February 2, 2007... IT was on the agenda at last week's Welsh Assembly countryside committee meeting - but what discussion there was on the controversial cutbacks to Wales-based Tir Mynydd hill farming support payments was brief. More time has been set aside...

Taking milk price petition to the top.
February 2, 2007... A PETITION signed by more than 72,000 people supporting the National Federation of Women's Institutes' call for the Government to ensure a fairer deal for Britain's dairy farmers, was handed over at the House of Commons this week. It was...

Raising awareness of a `last ditch' attempt to stay in dairy industry.
February 2, 2007... A YOUNG North Wales dairy farmer took his plea for a better milk price to Westminster this week - amid fears he could soon be forced out of business. Monday's `last ditch' mission saw 28-year-old Jonathan Owen spilling out details of his...

`We want to be treated fairly'.
February 2, 2007... NFU Scotland is asking supermarkets to address their own responsibilities and ensure those lower down the supply chain are being fairly treated. Willie Lamont, chairman of the union's Milk Committee, said that since last week's Competition...

Farmers demand inquiry into supermarket activities.
February 2, 2007... SOUTH WEST dairy farmers will deliver a petition to Downing Street on Tuesday, February 6 demanding a Government inquiry into the activities of supermarkets, which many farmers believe are operating a cartel and forcing them out of business....

Innovation and market trends key to Welsh dairy industry action plan.
February 2, 2007... A Welsh Assembly draft strategic action plan for the dairy industry in Wales went out to public consultation this week. Developed in close consultation with dairy farmers, the Wales Agri-food Partnership's dairy strategy group and the Milk...

Crofters urged to contact the Scottish Parliament.
February 2, 2007... THE formal approval of the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill has been welcomed by NFU Scotland, which is urging crofters to send their views to the Scottish Parliament's Committee of Inquiry on Crofting to ensure crofting communities are...

Urban and rural areas may be reconnected by Olympics.
February 2, 2007... THE London 2012 Olympics will offer opportunities for rural businesses and `the potential to reconnect urban and rural areas'. That is the message from Tim Isaac, who has recently been appointed Olympic co-ordinator by the Country Land and...

Worries at reform of fruit and veg rules.
February 2, 2007... PROPOSED reforms of the rules governing the fruit and vegetable sectors, including potatoes, have caused `real concern' for NFU Scotland. The European Commission announced a number of proposals to come into effect from January 2008, if agreed...

EC plans are aired for first time at agricultural council.
February 2, 2007... EUROPEAN Commission plans to reform the fruit and vegetable sector were aired for the first time this week at the agriculture council. Apart from fundamental opposition from France, most member states were positive about the concept of...

Policy makers need a big dose of common sense.
February 2, 2007... A month into the New Year we tend to look forward to what the coming seasons hold in store for us. I suppose, unless you are a turkey farmer, then this is the time we think of what this year's crops and production cycles will yield. Crop...

OPINION: Talking nonsense.
February 2, 2007... Oh dear, there appears to be an outbreak to talking nonsense this week - a possible ripple effect of the utter tripe put forth by the retail sector last week on milk prices. Worse still, those responsible are repeat offenders. Firstly,...

Letter: Hawkins `disconnected from reality'.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Like Britain's dairy farmers I was staggered to read Kevin Hawkins' complete denial of the role played by supermarket chains in determining their fortunes, when the evidence is staring us all in the face (FG, Jan 26). How can he accuse an...

Letter: Commission set to fail in findings?(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... IT appears that the Competition Commission wants more `specific evidence' about the unfair treatment of farmers by major grocery multiples. Chairman of the commission, Peter Freeman, also notes that a key hurdle in collecting such evidence...

Letter: Conclusion.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Re Kevin Hawkins: The consortium have come up with the conclusion that the British dairy farmer is inefficient (FG, Jan 26). The definition of that word in my dictionary is: `not producing the effect, habitually slack, incompetent'. You...

Letter: Policy.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... GUY Smith's `to hell with organics and full throttle on maximum production' article, could not be further from the mark (FG Jan 26). Regarding the notion that we should produce all we can to feed an ever- increasing population, the...

Letter: Easy Care breed.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... THANK you for your interesting article by Barry Alston on the work at Gelli Aur, Carmarthenshire, and particularly the farm manager John Owen, on developing an easy care system of sheep production (FG, Jan 26). However, I would correct one...

Positive future amid decline and overseas threats.
February 2, 2007... The severe challenges faced by the UK beef and sheep industries and future prospects for the various sectors were outlined at this week's annual MLC Outlook conference. VIC ROBERTSON and TOM LEVITT report. OFFICIALS from the Meat and...

MLC OUTLOOK CONFERENCE: Sector outlooks.
February 2, 2007... Beef Beef production in the UK increased from 762,000 tonnes in 2005 to 843,000 tonnes in 2006. It is expected to increase further to 856,000 tonnes. The lifting of the older cattle ban saw 373,000 cows enter the food chain, bringing...

No more special treatment for organic farmers on feed.
February 2, 2007... The Soil Association's annual conference took place in Wales for the first time this year. TOM LEVITT reports from Cardiff. ORGANIC farmers should not be given further concessions on feed this winter says the sector's main certification...

Import restrictions a boost to UK produce?
February 2, 2007... AIR-FREIGHTED organic imports may be denied organic status in the UK under proposals put forward by the Soil Association. In a move to improve organic produce's environmental impact, the certification body's standards board has proposed a...

Wales is the `cradle of organics'.
February 2, 2007... A WELSH Assembly commitment to the future development of organic farming in Wales has come from CountrysideMinister, Carwyn Jones - with a hint of possible measures on the way to further develop its growth. The Minister said Wales was...

Attack on biofuels.
February 2, 2007... BIOFUELS are far from the environmentally-friendly product that some groups are claiming, policy director Peter Melchett told delegates. Responding to the EU's recent decision to set minimum targets for biofuels use to 10 per cent by 2020,...

Demand for meat could diluteorganic standards.
February 2, 2007... RISING demand across the world, particularly in China, could submerge organic standards, said Food Animal Initiative director Roland Booney. Speaking at a workshop of livestock in the 21st century, Mr Booney said the China was rapidly...

Peak oil could boost need for local farm produce.
February 2, 2007... DECLINING availability of oil will increase the need for local food production and farmers, delegates were told. American academic Dr Richard Heinberg said reducing supplies of oil would send prices upwards and see a `re-localisation of...

Grass-fed beef cattle for longer shelf life and better flavour.
February 2, 2007... Quality Meat Scotland used a Perth conference to highlight some of the research and development work it is sponsoring, and to launch its second research and development report. NEIL RYDER reports. BEEF was a nutritious product that could be...

Integrated approach to nematode management.
February 2, 2007... AN integrated approach taking in grazing management, biological control, nutrition, genetics was likely to be the best approach to the increasing problem anthelminthic resistance in controlling parasitic worms in sheep, said Prof Mike Stear, of...

Control of breeding programmes.
February 2, 2007... THE latest advances in genetics were giving livestock breeders much greater control of breeding programmes, including breeding for meat quality, with information gained likely to be incorporated into breeding indexes. SAC's Dr Lutz Bunger...

Should we be releasing badgers into the wild?
February 2, 2007... Science has been at the heart of the TB debate, but it appears the same cannot be said for the programme to release badgers back into the wild. David Burrows investigates whether the programme needs to be reviewed and whether we should be doing...

Get broadband help now.
February 2, 2007... CORNISH farmers are being urged to apply for specialist IT funding before it is too late. The `actnow' project, led by Cornwall Enterprise, was set up to drive the growth of broadband and IT in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Over...

Retailers take things for granted - Kendall.
February 2, 2007... BARRY ALSTON reports from some of NFU Cymru's county conferences - with retailers and bureaucracy the hot topics. RETAILER abuse, over-regulation and market prices were singled out as the three biggest challenges currently facing the...

Normandy tour.
February 2, 2007... NORFOLK not-for-profit organisation Farmers Link is inviting farmers to sign up for a farm tour of Normandy. The trip will include hearing about agri-environment schemes across the channel and `wheat-to-bread' and other local trading...

Pat takes the helm.
February 2, 2007... LEICESTERSHIRE Agricultural Society has appointed a woman chairperson, for the first time in its 164-year history. Pat Bailey, who farms with her son, Richard, at Nanpantan, near Loughborough, will serve for two years. The society's...

Record breakers who find business `so frustrating'.
February 2, 2007... How do you produce a world record-breaking animal? Duncan Dawes knows, because he has just done it with an animal from his Jersey herd. He told ALISTAIR DRIVER the story behind it and spoke of his frustration at how even successful herds like...

Big savings with different winter sheep management.
February 2, 2007... TAKING a different approach to the winter management of sheep has meant a saving of #1,500 on a North Wales farm. Tregeiriog Farm, near Llangollen - owned by Rupert Greenwall but managed by Aled Jones under a shepherding contract - has a...

MACHINERY: Valtra's new T series moves up a gear.
February 2, 2007... While AGCO has made some fairly hefty investments in its Finnish tractor manufacturer Valtra - and the company that builds the engines for Valtra and other makes of tractor - its existing production protocols have inspired AGCO's production...

MACHINERY: Making big strides in biodiesel-powered engines.
February 2, 2007... SisuDiesel, the Agco-owned engine supplier to Valtra and one of the three companies providing engines for the whole of the parent corporation, is making big strides forward in bio-diesel compatibility. The most recent common rail engines,...

MACHINERY: Influence stretches to Fendt factory.
February 2, 2007... EVEN the renowned Fendt factory has seen some changes, based on working practices and tractor-building operations at Valtra's Suolahti factory in Finland. While some observers initially feared the Finnish manufacturer might lose much of...

MACHINERY: More power without big weight rise for small tractor.
February 2, 2007... Siromer Tractors is set to introduce a new 40hp model. The 404 will get its power from an Isuzu four-cylinder engine and will use the same chassis as the 30hp 304. By using the same frame as the smaller tractor, there is no dramatic...

MACHINERY: Sales up 8.1pc in 2006 for Claas Group.
February 2, 2007... The Claas Group has announced an 8.1 percent increase in sales, bringing the total to E2.35 billion across its three business sectors for the 2006 fiscal year. Sales for Western Europe represented E1.505 billion, with a 1.6 per cent rise...

MACHINERY: New leg trip set-up for Trio cultivator.
February 2, 2007... SUMO has been busy fettling its Trio cultivator with a new leg trip set up. The low draft legs, which can work down to 430mm at the point, can now clear the ground when they break back. As before, each leg can individually break back, but...

MACHINERY: 50-year run for `vintage' tyres.
February 2, 2007... Fifty years on and they have still got the original air, says John Sweet about the tyres on his Ferguson FE35. Bought new in 1957 by his late father to use on a 20-acre market garden farm in St Austell in Cornwall, the tractor is still...

MACHINERY: Deere leads in tractor sales.
February 2, 2007... John Deere led the way again in tractor sales for 2005 with 27.5 per cent of the total market (14,006 units). Next up was Agco with 23.8 per cent (3,331 units) and of this, Massey had the biggest slice with 2,461 units. Valtra had 553 and Fendt...

MACHINERY: Dieselmax runs on B20 blend.
February 2, 2007... JCB has announced that its Dieselmax engines can now be used with a 20 per cent biodiesel blend, more commonly known as B20 Biodiesel. Engineering director for JCB Group Tim Leverton said he was aware that there will be increasing pressure...

MACHINERY: Burdens take over Goodacres.
February 2, 2007... LINCOLNSHIRE machinery dealer Goodacres of Donington, who have the John Deere area franchise, has been taken over by the Burdens Group. After 60 years at its current site, the company will also be moving to the Burdens headquarters at...

MACHINERY: Volvo L70F.
February 2, 2007... F-series is the tag given to Volvo's latest generation of upgraded loading shovels, which includes the L60F, L70F and L90F medium-duty machines. This mid-sector 13-tonne L70F comes with the firm's own D6E engine, packing more power and...

MACHINERY: Doosan DL200.
February 2, 2007... The former Daewoo-badged wheeled loader range is now known as Doosan. Completing Doosan's phased introduction of its DL range are the DL200 and DL250 models. Both are powered by the latest Doosan electronically- controlled, common rail direct...

MACHINERY: Caterpillar 950H.
February 2, 2007... Cat's latest H-series wheeled loaders kicks-off with the 950H - an 18.5- tonne machine more suited to forestry and bulk materials handling than muck shifting. Power comes from a 200hp C7 engine with Acert fuel and air management and engine...

MACHINERY: Case 721E XT.
February 2, 2007... The Case 721E is one of several new E-series loaders to appear from the firm in 2007. And in XT format, it is also a versatile tool carrier. The biggest changes over the outgoing D series are in machine layout - the engine is now at the...

MACHINERY: JCB Farm Master 434S.
February 2, 2007... Twenty-four years since JCB identified a need for a dedicated agricultural loading shovel, its Farm Master range now comprises five agricultural-spec wheeled loaders. Top of the tree is the Cummins-powered 434S, which packs a peak power of...

MACHINERY: Liebherr L538 Agri contractor.
February 2, 2007... Only JCB offers more dedicated ag-spec loading shovels than German manufacturer Liebherr, whose three machines span 12-15 tonnes operating weight and 134-162hp outputs. Liebherr says its Agri Contractor range is an all-wheel drive materials...

MACHINERY: Liebherr L538 Agri contractor.
February 2, 2007... The L544 is the largest in Liebherr's Agri-Contractor range, and tips the scales at 15.6 tonnes. IT offers a 10-tonne tipping load and is suited to the demands of high-output forage harvesters. Loader power comes from the use of a Z-bar...

MACHINERY: Kramer 880.
February 2, 2007... Compact wheeled loader maker Kramer's first attempt at a wheeled-loader proper can be found in the guise of the 880. But where other makers have followed pivot-steer chassis for their wheeled loaders, Kramer has remained loyal to its rigid...

ARABLE: February is optimum time for spring beans.
February 2, 2007... IMPROVEMENTS in the yield, disease and pest resistance and drought tolerance of spring beans continue to be sought, although progress has been made in some of these areas in recent years. That was the message to the HGCA/PGRO oilseeds and...

ARABLE: Handle oilseed crops with care to maximise the yield.
February 2, 2007... WITH oilseed rape crops exceptionally lush after a mild winter, growers are being advised to manage crop canopies with care to optimise yield. "Growth has been so rapid that we now have crops in January on the verge of stem extension which...

ARABLE: Trickle irrigation is slow to filter through.
February 2, 2007... TRICKLE irrigation will not be brought within the water abstraction licensing regulation until 2008 and only then following an industry consultation. Farmers and growers using trickle irrigation will then have a two-year window in which to...

ARABLE: Effects of restrictions.
February 2, 2007... RESTRICTIONS on abstraction in order to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are likely to affect more farmers and growers than restrictions relating to Habitats Directive sites. Yet, while the Environment Agency has notified...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: PSD's approval.
February 2, 2007... The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) has approved the sale and distribution of the herbicide, Hatchet Xtra. Hatchet Xtra, which contains 200g/l of the generic active ingredient fluroxypyr, is a selective post-emergence herbicide for use...

ARABLE NEWS IN BRIEF: Research work.
February 2, 2007... Research work at Cambridge University Farms (CUF) is currently focusing on Amistar's (azoxystrobin) effect on controlling soil-borne rhizoctonia. A label recommendation for the use of Amistar on silver scurf is also being applied for, says...

ARABLE: Rhubarb crop affected by a mild winter.
February 2, 2007... A MILD winter, following last year's hot summer, is affecting Yorkshire's forced rhubarb crop. Janet Oldroyd-Hulme, whose family business is one of the region's main rhubarb producers said, "Temperatures have been increasing over the last...

ARABLE: Trans fat concerns lead to plant's closure.
February 2, 2007... OILSEED crusher ADM is to close down its hydrogenation facility in March as a result of concerns over the effects of trans fatty acids on human health, and a consequent fall in demand for hydrogenated fats. Speaking at the conference, ADM...

ARABLE: Wheat surplus `could be wiped out' by delays.
February 2, 2007... THE UK's 3 million-tonnes surplus wheat production now going for export will be wiped out by the demand from the six proposed bioethanol plants currently looking for finance to start construction in time to come on stream in 2008 and 2009. ...

ARABLE: New energy crops growers held up by grants scheme.
February 2, 2007... FARMERS keen to start growing short rotation coppice and miscanthus to meet the increasing demand for biomass for energy are being thwarted by the delay in setting up a new Energy Crops Scheme to deliver the grants required to get the crops...

ARABLE: Selective herbicides `enhance farmland'.
February 2, 2007... SELECTIVE herbicides offer the potential to enhance farmland biodiversity, says Naomi Jones, of Central Science Laboratory. In trials run in partnership with the Game Conservancy Trust, researchers looked at the effect of wide-spaced rows...

ARABLE: Some species can be greatly helped by undrilled patches.
February 2, 2007... LEAVING small patches undrilled within fields can help boost numbers of some species, although for maximum effect other measures need to be taken alongside. This was the conclusion from research carried out by the Game Conservancy Trust...

ARABLE: Copper in cereals is important.
February 2, 2007... MICONUTRIENTS such as copper may be needed in quantities as small as a few grammes per hectare, but adequate supplies are essential if crop yield and quality are not to suffer. That's according to Mark Law of Law Fertilisers, who points...

ARABLE: Biomass: Cheaper glasshouse heating.
February 2, 2007... HEATING glasshouses with biomass fuel was the theme of a seminar organised by the Rural Energy Trust, in conjunction with the NFU, give local growers an opportunity to find out more about renewable energy and to meet local energy producers. ...

ARABLE: Meters must be changed on applicators.
February 2, 2007... FOLLOWING revocation of the use of Temik (aldicarb) on potatoes, growers switching to Nemathorin (fosthiazate) to tackle potato cyst nematode and wireworm need to change the metering mechanisms on their nematicide applicators. Graham...

ARABLE: Beet support system launched for new season.
February 2, 2007... THE British Beet Research Organisation has re-released its Post- Emergence Herbicide Decision Support System for the coming season. The system is designed to enable users to select the best herbicide mixes based on the specific weeds, crop...